3    1822  01155   1736 


WILL  D,  GORTON,  JR., 

2612   SALADO  ST., 
AUSTIN,  TEXAS. 


\   G\    Q    O  • 


1    DO   NOT   LOVE    HIM.   TOM"     (PAGE  154) 


A    SOLDIER    OF 
VIRGINIA 


BY 


BURTON  EGBERT  STEVENSON 


BOSTON   AND  NEW   YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

res?,  Cambri&oe 
1901 


COPYRIGHT,    1901,    BY    BURTON    EGBERT    STEVENSON 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


TO 
THE   MEMORY   OF   THE   GALLANT   MEN 

WHO   FELL 
WITH    DUST   OF   FAILURE    BITTER   ON    THEIR   LIPS 

THAT   OTHERS    MIGHT    BE   TAUGHT 
THE    LESSON     OF     THE    WILDERNESS 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAOB 

I.  LIEUTENANT  ALLEN  GROWS  INSULTING      .        .      1 
II.   THE  STORY  OF  FONTENOY       .        .        .        .13 

III.  IN    WHICH   I   INTRODUCE    MYSELF  .  .  .25 

IV.  THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON    .    .   37 
V.  THE  SECRET  OF  A  HEART     .    .    .   .54 

VI.     I    AM  TREATED  TO  A  SURPRISE  ...  64 

VII.     I    DECIDE    TO    BE    A   SOLDIER  .  .  .  .77 

VIII.   A  RIDE  TO  WILLIAMSBURG      ....        92 

IX.  MY  FIRST  TASTE  OF  WARFARE  ....  104 

X.   THE  FRENCH  SCORE  FIRST       .        .        .        .117 

XI.   DREAM  DAYS  AT  RIVERVIEW      ....  133 

XII.    DOROTHY  MAKES  HER  CHOICE         .         .         .       147 

XIII.  LIEUTENANT  ALLEN  SHOWS  HIS  SKILL       .        .  159 

XIV.  I    CHANCE    UPON   A    TRAGEDY     ....          172 
XV.     WE    START    ON   A    WEARY   JOURNEY      .  .  .    186 

XVI.   THE  END  IN  SIGHT 199 

XVII.  THE  LESSON  OF  THE  WILDERNESS      .        .        .  208 

XVIII.  DEFEAT  BECOMES  DISHONOR    ....      223 

XIX.  ALLEN  AND  I  SHAKE  HANDS       ....  232 

XX.   BRADDOCK  PAYS  THE  PRICE    ....      245 

XXI.   VIRGINIA  BIDS  us  WELCOME        ....  254 

XXII.   A  NEW  DANGER  AT  RIVERVIEW     .        .        .      263 

XXIII.  THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE     .        .  273 

XXIV.  A  WARNING  FROM  THE  FOREST      .        .        .      285 

XXV.     I    FIND    MYSELF    IN    A    DELICATE   SITUATION  .    295 

XXVI.    A  DESPERATE  DEFENSE 305 

XXVII.     I    COME    INTO   MY    OWN 315 

AND  so,  GOOD-BY 324 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"I  DO  NOT  LOVE  HIM,  TOM "  (page  154)  Frontispiece 

"FOB  SHAME,  GENTLEMEN!" 8 

"STEWART,  LISTEN!"        .' 216 

THE  SAVAGES  POURED  OVER  THE  THRESHOLD    .        .        .  310 

Drawn  by  Philip  E.  Goodwin 


A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 


CHAPTER   I 
LIEUTENANT   ALLEN   GROWS   INSULTING 

IT  was  not  until  he  sneered  at  me  openly  across 
the  board  that  I  felt  my  self-control  slipping  from 
me.  "  Lieutenant  Allen  seems  to  have  a  poor  opin 
ion  of  the  Virginia  troops,"  I  said,  as  calmly  as  I 
could. 

"  Egad,  you  are  right,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he 
retorted,  his  eyes  full  on  mine.  "  These  two  weeks 
past  have  I  been  trying  to  beat  some  sense  into 
the  fools,  and  'pon  my  word,  't  is  enough  to  drive 
a  man  crazy  to  see  them." 

He  paused  to  gulp  down  a  glass  of  wine,  of 
which  I  thought  he  had  already  drunk  too  much. 

"  I  saw  them  this  forenoon,"  cried  Preston,  who 
was  sitting  at  Allen's  right,  "  and  was  like  to  die 
of  laughing.  Poor  Allen,  there,  was  doing  his 
best  to  teach  them  the  manual,  and  curse  me  if 
they  did  n't  hold  their  guns  as  though  they  burnt 
their  fingers.  Arid  when  they  were  ordered  to 
'bout  face,  they  looked  like  nothing  so  much  as 
the  crowd  I  saw  six  months  since  at  Newmarket, 
trying  to  get  their  money  on  Jason." 

The  others  around  the  table  laughed  in  concert, 


2  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

and  I  could  not  but  admit  there  was  a  grain  of 
truth  in  the  comparison. 

"'Tis  granted,"  I  said,  after  a  moment,  "that 
we  Virginians  have  not  the  training  of  you  gen 
tlemen  of  the  line  ;  but  we  can  learn,  and  at  least 
no  one  can  doubt  our  courage." 

"  Think  you  so  ?  "  and  Allen  laughed  an  insult 
ing  laugh.  "  There  was  that  little  brush  at  Fort 
Necessity  last  year,  from  which  they  brought  away 
nothing  but  their  skins,  and  damned  glad  they 
were  to  do  that." 

"  They  brought  away  their  arms,"  I  cried  hotly, 
"and  would  have  brought  away  all  their  stores 
and  munitions,  had  the  French  kept  faith  and 
held  their  Indians  off.  That,  too,  in  face  of  an 
enemy  three  times  their  number.  The  Virginians 
have  no  cause  to  blush  for  their  conduct  at  Fort 
Necessity.  The  Coldstreams  could  have  done  no 
better." 

Allen  laughed  again.  "  Ah,  pardon  me,  Stewart," 
he  said  contemptuously,  "  I  forgot  that  you  were 
present  on  that  glorious  day." 

I  felt  my  cheeks  crimson,  and  I  looked  up  and 
down  the  board,  but  saw  only  sneering  faces.  Yes, 
there  was  one,  away  down  at  the  farther  end,  which 
did  not  sneer,  but  looked  at  me  I  thought  pity 
ingly,  which  was  infinitely  worse.  And  then,  of 
course,  there  was  Pennington,  who  sat  next  to  me, 
and  who  looked  immeasurably  shamed  at  the  turn 
the  dispute  had  taken.  He  placed  a  restraining 
hand  upon  my  sleeve,  but  I  shook  it  off  impa 
tiently. 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   GROWS   INSULTING    3 

"Yes,  I  was  present,"  I  answered,  my  heart 
aflame  within  me,  "  and  our  provincial  troops 
learned  a  lesson  there  which  even  the  gentlemen 
of  the  Forty-Fourth  may  one  day  be  glad  to  have 
us  teach  them." 

"  Teach  us  ?  "  cried  Allen.  "  Curse  me,  sir,  but 
you  grow  insulting !  As  for  your  learning,  per 
mit  me  to  doubt  your  ability  to  learn  anything. 
I  have  been  trying  to  teach  you  provincials  the 
rudiments  of  drill  for  the  past  fortnight,  without 
success.  In  faith,  you  seem  to  know  less  now 
than  you  did  before  I  began." 

"  Yes  ?  "  I  asked,  my  anger  quite  mastering  me. 
"  But  may  not  that  be  the  fault  of  the  teacher, 
Lieutenant  Allen  ?  " 

He  was  out  of  his  chair  with  an  oath,  and  would 
have  come  across  the  table  at  me,  but  that  those 
on  either  side  held  him  back. 

"  I  suppose  you  considered  your  words  before 
you  spoke  them,  Lieutenant  Stewart?"  asked 
Preston,  looking  at  me  coldly,  and  still  keeping 
tight  hold  on  the  swearing  man  at  his  side. 

"  Fully,"  I  answered,  as  I  arose  from  my  chair. 

"  You  know,  of  course,  that  there  remains  only 
one  thing  to  be  done  ?"  he  continued,  with  a  glance 
I  thought  compassionate,  and  so  resented. 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered  again.  "  I  may  be 
able  to  teach  the  gentleman  a  very  pretty  thrust  in 
tierce." 

Upon  this  Allen  fell  to  cursing  again,  but  Pres 
ton  silenced  him  with  a  gesture  of  his  hand. 

"  I  am  very  willing,"  I  added,  "  to  give  him  the 


4  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

lesson  at  once,  if  he  so  desires.  There  is  a  charm 
ing  place  just  without.  I  marked  it  as  I  passed 
to  enter  here,  though  with  no  thought  I  should  so 
soon  have  need  of  it." 

Now  all  this  was  merely  the  empty  braggartry 
of  youth,  which  I  blush  to  remember.  Nor  was 
Allen  the  blustering  bully  I  then  deemed  him,  as 
I  was  afterwards  to  find  out  for  myself.  But  I 
know  of  nothing  which  will  so  gloss  over  and  dis 
guise  a  man's  real  nature  as  a  glass  of  wine  too 
much. 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  give  the  lesson  at  once,"  I 
repeated. 

"  Yes,  at  once  !  "  cried  Allen  savagely.  "  I  '11 
teach  you,  sir,  to  keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  head 
when  you  address  an  officer  of  the  line." 

"It  seems  that  we  are  both  to  learn  a  lesson, 
then,"  I  said  lightly.  "  It  remains  only  to  be  seen 
which  is  the  better  teacher.  Will  one  of  the  other 
gentlemen  present  act  as  my  second  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  do  so,  Lieutenant  Stewart," 
cried  my  neighbor,  stepping  forward. 

"  Ah,  Lieutenant  Pennington,  thank  you,"  and  I 
looked  into  his  face  with  pleasure,  for  it  was  the 
one,  of  all  those  present,  which  I  liked  the  best. 
"  Will  you  arrange  the  details  for  me  ?  " 

"  May  I  speak  to  you  a  moment  first  ?  "  he  asked, 
looking  at  me  anxiously. 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered,  and  together  we  walked 
over  to  one  corner  of  the  room. 

"  Believe  me,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said,  in  a 
low  voice,  "  I  deem  you  a  brave  man,  and  I  honor 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   GROWS   INSULTING    5 

you  for  defending  the  credit  of  your  countrymen. 
I  little  thought,  when  I  invited  you  to  dine  with 
us  to-night,  that  there  would  be  an  issue  such  as 
this,  for  it  can  end  in  but  one  way.  Allen  is  the 
best  swordsman  in  the  regiment,  and  a  very  devil 
when  he  is  flushed  with  wine,  as  he  is  now." 

"  You  would  have  me  decline  to  meet  him, 
then?  "  I  asked,  looking  at  him  steadily. 

"  A  word  of  apology,"  he  stammered,  but  he 
did  not  meet  my  eyes.  His  heart  was  not  in  his 
words. 

"  Impossible,"  I  said.  "  You  forget  that  it  was 
he  who  insulted  me,  and  that  an  apology,  if  there 
be  one,  must  come  from  him.  He  has  insulted  not 
only  myself,  but  the  whole  body  of  Virginia  volun 
teers.  Though  I  were  certain  he  would  kill  me,  I 
could  not  draw  back  in  honor.  But  I  am  not  so 
certain,"  and  I  smiled  down  into  his  face.  "  There 
be  some  good  swordsmen  even  in  Virginia,  sir." 

"  In  faith,  I  am  wondrous  glad  to  hear  it !  "  he 
cried,  his  face  brightening.  "  I  could  not  do  less 
than  warn  you." 

"  And  I  thank  you  for  your  interest." 

He  held  out  his  hand,  and  I  clasped  it  warmly. 
Then  we  turned  again  to  the  group  about  the 
table. 

"  Well,"  cried  Allen  harshly,  "  does  our  Vir 
ginia  friend  desire  to  withdraw  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,"  answered  Pennington 
quietly,  "  he  has  positively  refused  to  withdraw," 
and  as  he  spoke,  I  saw  that  the  others  looked  at 
me  with  attentive  eyes.  "  There  is  a  little  green 


6  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

just  back  of  the  barracks.  Let  us  proceed  to  it," 
and  he  led  the  way  toward  the  door. 

Allen  and  I  followed  him,  and  the  whole  rabble 
of  officers  crowded  after.  In  a  moment  we  were 
at  the  place,  and  I  walked  to  one  side  while  the 
seconds  conferred  together.  The  full  moon  had 
risen  above  the  treetops  and  flooded  the  clearing 
with  still  radiance.  The  tall,  coarse  grass  waved 
slowly  to  and  fro  in  the  faint  breeze,  and  away  off 
in  the  forest  I  heard  a  wolf  howling.  The  note, 
long  and  clear,  rose  and  quivered  in  the  air,  faint 
and  far  away.  And  as  it  died  to  silence,  for  the 
first  time  the  thought  came  to  me  that  perchance 
my  skill  in  fence  might  not  avail.  Well,  thank 
heaven,  there  was  none  to  whom  my  death  would 
cause  much  sorrow,  except  —  yes,  Dorothy  might 
care.  At  thought  of  her,  the  forest  faded  from 
before  me,  and  I  saw  her  again  as  I  had  seen  her 
last,  looking  down  upon  me  from  the  stair-head, 
and  her  kiss  was  warm  upon  my  lips. 

"  We  are  ready,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  called 
Pennington,  and  I  shook  my  forebodings  from  me 
as  I  strode  back  toward  him. 

"  Lieutenant  Allen  instructs  me  to  say,"  began 
Preston,  who  was  acting  as  his  second,  "  that  an 
apology  on  the  part  of  Lieutenant  Stewart  will 
avert  consequences  which  may,  perhaps,  be  unplea 
sant." 

"  Lieutenant  Stewart  has  no  apologies  to  offer," 
I  said  shortly.  "  We  are  wasting  time,  gentle 
men." 

"As  you  will,"  and  Preston  turned  back  to  Allen. 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   GROWS  INSULTING    7 

My  coat  was  off  in  an  instant,  and  I  rolled  the 
sleeve  of  my  shirt  above  my  elbow,  the  better  to 
have  it  out  of  the  way. 

"  May  I  have  your  sword,  lieutenant  ?  "  asked 
Pennington,  and  he  walked  with  it  over  to  where 
Preston  stood.  He  was  back  in  a  moment.  "  Al 
len's  sword  is  fully  an  inch  the  longer,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  insisted  that  he  secure  a  shorter  weapon." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  I  cried.  "  Let  him  keep  his 
sword.  I  am  two  or  three  inches  the  taller,  and 
the  advantage  will  still  be  on  my  side." 

Pennington  looked  at  me  a  moment  in  some 
thing  like  astonishment. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said  at  last,  and  stepped  over 
and  spoke  another  word  to  Preston.  Then  he  came 
back  and  handed  me  my  sword.  "  You  are  a  gal 
lant  man,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said  as  he  did  so. 

"  No  more  than  many  others  in  Virginia.  'T  is 
that  I  mean  to  prove  to-night,"  I  answered  lightly, 
and  I  saluted  my  adversary  and  felt  his  blade 
against  my  own.  The  first  pass  showed  me  that 
he  was  master  of  the  weapon,  but  I  was  far  from 
dismayed.  I  saw  his  eyes  widen  with  surprise  as 
I  parried  his  thrust  and  pressed  him  so  closely  that 
he  gave  back  a  step.  I  smiled  dryly,  for  I  knew 
my  advantage.  The  earliest  lesson  I  had  learned 
at  the  foils  was  that  victory  comes  only  to  the  man 
who  keeps  his  coolness.  I  had  drunk  little  wine, 
while  Allen  had  drunk  much,  and  his  bloodshot 
eyes  told  of  previous  nights  spent  over  the  cups 
and  dice.  No,  decidedly,  I  had  little  to  fear. 
Allen  must  have  read  something  of  my  thought  in 


8  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

my  eyes,  for  his  face  flushed  to  a  yet  darker  crim 
son,  he  pulled  himself  together  with  an  effort,  and 
by  a  trick  which  I  had  never  seen,  got  inside  my 
guard.  His  point  was  at  my  breast,  but  I  leaped 
back  and  avoided  it. 

"  Ah,  you  break  !  "  he  cried.  "  'T  is  not  so  easy 
as  you  fancied  !  " 

I  did  not  answer,  contenting  myself  with  play 
ing  more  cautiously  than  I  had  done  in  my  self- 
satisfaction  of  a  moment  before.  Out  of  the  cor 
ners  of  my  eyes,  I  could  see  a  portion  of  the  circle 
of  white  faces  about  us,  but  they  made  no  sound, 
and  what  their  expression  was  I  could  not  tell. 
The  night  air  and  the  fast  work  were  doing  much 
to  sober  my  opponent,  and  I  felt  his  wrist  grow 
stronger  as  he  held  down  my  point  for  an  instant. 
It  was  his  turn  to  smile,  and  I  felt  my  cheeks  red 
den  at  the  expression  of  his  face.  Again  he  got 
inside  my  guard,  but  again  I  was  out  of  reach  ere 
he  could  touch  me.  I  saw  that  I  was  making  but 
a  sorry  showing,  and  I  tried  the  thrust  of  which 
I  had  had  the  bad  taste  to  boast,  but  he  turned  it 
aside  quite  easily.  And  then,  of  a  sudden,  I  heard 
the  beat  of  a  horse's  hoofs  behind  me. 

"  For  shame,  gentlemen  !  "  cried  a  clear  voice, 
which  rang  familiar  in  my  ears.  "  Can  the  king's 
soldiers  find  no  enemies  to  his  empire  that  they 
must  fight  among  themselves?" 

Our  seconds  struck  up  our  swords,  and  Allen 
looked  over  my  shoulder  with  a  curse. 

"  Another  damned  provincial,  upon  my  life !  " 
he  cried.  "  Was  there  ever  such  impudence  !  " 


"FOR   SHAME,    GENTLEMEN!" 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN  GROWS  INSULTING    9 

As  he  spoke,  the  horseman  swung-  himself  from 
the  saddle  with  an  easy  grace  which  declared  long 
training  in  it,  and  walked  coolly  toward  us. 

"  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said  to  me  sternly, 
"  I  did  not  think  to  find  you  thus  engaged,  else 
had  I  thought  twice  before  placing  a  sword  in  your 
hand." 

"  The  insult  was  one  which  could  not  be  passed 
over,  Colonel  Washington,"  I  answered,  as  I 
saluted  him.  "  It  was  not  to  myself  only,  but 
to  all  the  Virginia  troops  who  serve  his  Ma 
jesty." 

"  So,"  sneered  Allen,  "  't  is  the  hero  of  Fort 
Necessity !  I  can  well  believe  him  averse  to 
fighting." 

My  cheeks  were  hot  with  anger  and  I  saw 
Washington  flush  darkly,  but  he  gazed  at  Allen 
coldly,  and  his  voice  was  calm  as  ever  when  he 
spoke. 

"  It  shall  be  my  privilege  at  some  future  time," 
he  said,  "  to  call  the  gentleman  to  account  for  his 
words.  At  present,  my  sword  is  pledged  to  the 
king  and  may  be  drawn  in  no  other  service,  more 
especially  not  in  my  own.  I  trust,  Lieutenant 
Stewart,  you  will  have  the  courage  to  sheathe  your 
blade." 

I  hesitated.  It  was  a  hard  thing  to  ask  a  man 
to  do. 

"  Yes,  put  up  your  sword  !  "  cried  Allen  scorn 
fully.  "  Allow  yourself  to  be  reproved  like  a 
naughty  boy  by  this  hero  who  knows  only  how  to 
retreat.  On  my  soul,  't  was  well  he  arrived  when 


10  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

he  did.  I  should  have  finished  with  you  long  ere 
this." 

Washington  looked  at  me  steadily,  without  show 
ing  by  the  movement  of  a  muscle  that  he  had 
heard. 

"  And  I  promise  you,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he 
continued,  as  though  there  had  been  no  interrup 
tion,  "  that  I  shall  be  happy  to  act  as  your  second, 
once  this  campaign  is  closed." 

My  cheeks  flushed  again,  this  time  with  plea 
sure,  and  I  picked  up  my  scabbard  and  sent  my 
blade  home. 

"  I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me,  Lieutenant 
Allen,"  I  said.  "  Colonel  Washington  says  right. 
My  sword  is  not  my  own  until  we  have  met  the 
French.  Then  I  shall  be  only  too  pleased  to  con 
clude  the  argument." 

Allen's  lips  curved  in  a  disdainful  smile. 

"  I  thought  you  would  be  somewhat  less  eager 
to  vindicate  the  courage  of  Virginia  once  you  had 
pause  for  reflection,"  he  sneered.  "  Provincials 
are  all  of  a  kind,  and  the  breed  is  not  a  choice 
one." 

I  bit  my  lips  to  keep  back  the  angry  retort 
which  leaped  to  them,  and  I  saw  Washington's 
hand  trembling  on  his  sword.  It  did  me  good 
to  see  that  even  he  maintained  his  calmness  only 
by  an  effort. 

"  Oh,  come,  Allen,"  cried  Pennington,  "  you  go 
too  far.  There  can  be  110  question  of  Lieutenant 
Stewart's  courage.  He  was  ready  enough  to  meet 
you,  God  knows !  Colonel  Washington  is  right. 


LIEUTENANT   ALLEN   GROWS   INSULTING     11 

Our  swords  belong  to  the  king  while  he  has  work 
for  them,"  and  the  young  fellow,  with  flushed  face, 
held  out  his  hand  to  Washington,  who  grasped  it 
warmly. 

"  I  thank  you,"  he  said  simply.  "  I  should  be 
sorry  to  believe  that  all  the  king's  officers  could  so 
far  forget  their  duty.  Come,  lieutenant,"  he  added 
to  me,  and  taking  me  by  the  arm,  he  walked  me 
out  of  the  group,  which  opened  before  us,  and  I 
ventured  to  think  that  not  all  of  the  faces  were 
unfriendly.  "  I  have  a  message  for  Sir  Peter 
Halket,"  he  said,  when  we  were  out  of  earshot. 
"  Show  me  his  quarters,  Tom,  and  so  soon  as  I 
have  finished  my  business,  we  will  talk  over  this 
unhappy  affair." 

I  led  the  way  toward  the  building  where  the 
commander  of  the  Forty-Fourth  was  quartered, 
too  angry  with  myself  and  with  the  world  to  trust 
myself  to  speak.  Why  should  I,  who  came  of 
as  good  family  as  any  in  Virginia,  be  compelled 
to  swallow  insults  as  I  had  to-night?  I  almost 
regretted  for  the  moment  that  I  was  in  the  ser 
vice. 

"  But  the  time  will  come,"  I  said,  speaking 
aloud  before  I  thought. 

"  Yes,  the  time  will  come,  Tom,"  and  Washing 
ton  looked  at  me  with  a  grim  smile.  "  The  time 
will  come  sooner  than  you  think,  perhaps,  when 
these  braggarts  will  be  taught  a  lesson  which  they 
greatly  need.  Pray  heaven  the  lesson  be  not  so 
severe  that  it  shake  the  king's  empire  on  this  con 
tinent." 


12  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Shake  the  king's  empire  ?  "  I  repeated,  looking 
at  him  in  amazement.  "  I  do  not  understand." 

"  No  matter,"  he  said  shortly.  "  Here  we  are 
at  headquarters.  Do  you  wait  for  me.  I  will  be 
but  a  moment;"  and  he  ran  up  the  steps,  spoke 
a  word  to  the  sentry,  and  disappeared  within. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   STOEY   OF   FONTENOY 

MY  heart  was  thick  with  wrath  as  I  walked  up 
and  down  before  Sir  Peter  Halket's  quarters  and 
waited  for  Colonel  Washington  to  reappear.  I 
asked  myself  again  why  I  should  be  compelled  to 
take  the  insults  of  any  man.  I  clenched  my  hands 
together  behind  me,  and  swore  that  Allen  should 
yet  pay  dearly.  I  recalled  with  bitterness  the  joy 
I  had  felt  a  week  before,  when  I  had  received  from 
Colonel  Washington  a  letter  in  which  he  stated 
that  he  had  procured  my  appointment  as  lieuten 
ant  in  Captain  Waggoner's  Virginia  company.  I 
had  been  ahungered  to  make  the  campaign,  and 
had  donned  my  uniform  with  a  light  heart,  —  the 
same  I  had  worn  the  year  before,  now  much  faded 
but  inexpressibly  dear  to  me,  —  mounted  my 
horse,  and  ridden  hotfoot  to  join  the  force  here  at 
Winchester.  I  had  been  received  kindly  enough 
by  my  companion  officers  of  the  provincial  com 
panies,  many  of  whom  were  old  friends.  The 
contempt  which  the  officers  of  the  Forty-Fourth 
felt  for  the  Virginia  troops,  and  which  they  were 
at  no  pains  to  conceal,  had  vexed  me  somewhat 
from  the  first,  yet  it  was  not  until  to-night  at  the 
officers'  mess,  to  which  I  had  foolishly  accepted 


14  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

Pennington's  invitation,  that  this  contempt  had 
grown  unbearable.  I  had  chanced  to  pull  Pen 
nington's  horse  out  of  a  hole  the  day  before,  and 
so  saved  it  a  broken  leg,  but  I  saw  now  that  I 
should  have  done  better  to  refuse  that  invitation, 
courteously  as  it  was  given,  and  sincere  as  his 
gratitude  had  undoubtedly  been. 

So  I  walked  up  and  down  with  a  sore  heart,  as 
a  child  will  when  it  has  been  punished  for  no 
fault,  and  prayed  that  we  provincials  might  yet 
teach  the  regulars  a  lesson.  Yet  they  were  brave 
men,  most  of  them,  whom  I  could  not  but  admire. 
A  kindlier,  gallanter  man  than  Sir  Peter  Halket 
I  had  never  seen,  no,  nor  ever  shall  see.  I  noted 
the  sentries  pacing  their  beats  before  the  colonel's 
quarters,  erect,  automatous,  their  guns  a-glitter  in 
the  moonlight,  their  uniforms  immaculate.  I  had 
seen  them  drill  the  day  before,  whole  companies 
moving  like  one  man,  their  ranks  straight  as  a 
ramrod,  —  tramp,  tramp,  —  turning  as  on  a  pivot 
moved  by  a  single  will.  It  was  a  wonderful  sight 
to  me  who  had  never  seen  the  like  before,  they 
were  so  strong,  so  confident,  so  seemingly  invin 
cible. 

I  turned  and  glanced  again  at  the  sentries,  al 
most  envying  them  their  perfect  carriage.  Had 
they  been  men  of  iron,  worked  by  a  spring,  they 
could  not  have  moved  with  more  clock-like  regu 
larity.  And  yet,  no  doubt,  they  had  one  time 
been  country  louts  like  any  others.  Truly  there 
was  much  virtue  in  discipline.  Yet  still,  and  here 
I  shook  my  head,  the  Virginia  troops  were  brave 


THE  STORY  OF  FONTENOY  15 

as  any  in  the  world,  and  would  prove  it.  From 
the  officers'  quarters  came  the  sound  of  singing 
and  much  laughter,  and  I  flushed  as  I  thought 
perchance  it  was  at  me  they  laughed.  I  have 
learned  long  since  that  no  man's  laughter  need 
disturb  me,  so  my  heart  be  clear,  but  this  was 
wisdom  far  beyond  my  years  and  yet  undreamed 
of,  and  I  shook  my  fist  at  the  row  of  lighted  win 
dows. 

"  What,  still  fuming,  Tom  ?  "  cried  a  voice  at 
my  elbow,  and  I  turned  to  find  Colonel  Washing 
ton  there ;  "  and  staring  over  toward  the  barracks 
as  though  you  would  like  to  gobble  up  every  one 
within  !  Well,  I  admit  you  have  cause,"  he  added, 
and  I  saw  that  his  face  grew  stern.  "  You  may 
have  to  bear  many  such  insults  before  the  cam 
paign  is  ended,  but  I  hope  and  believe  that  the 
conduct  of  the  Virginia  troops  will  yet  win  them 
the  respect  of  the  regulars.  You  seem  to  have 
lost  no  time  in  getting  to  camp,"  he  added,  in  a 
lighter  tone. 

"  There  was  nothing  to  keep  me  at  River  view," 
I  answered  bitterly.  "  My  absence  is  much  pre 
ferred  to  my  presence  there.  Had  I  not  come  to 
Winchester,  I  must  have  gone  somewhere  else. 
Your  letter  came  most  opportunely." 

"  You  are  out  of  humor  to-night,  Tom,"  said 
Washington,  but  his  tone  was  kindly,  and  he  placed 
one  hand  upon  my  arm  as  we  turned  back  to 
ward  the  cabin  where  rny  quarters  were.  He 
was  scarce  three  years  my  senior,  yet  to  me  he 
seemed  immeasurably  the  elder.  I  had  always 


16  A   SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

thought  of  him  as  of  a  man,  and  I  verily  believe  he 
was  a  man  in  mind  and  temper  while  yet  a  boy  in 
body.  I  had  ridden  beside  him  many  times  over 
his  mother's  estate,  and  I  had  noticed  —  and  chafed 
somewhat  at  the  knowledge  —  that  women  much 
older  than  he  always  called  him  Mr.  Washington, 
while  even  that  little  chit  of  a  Polly  Johnston 
called  me  Tom  to  my  face,  and  laughed  at  me  when 
I  assumed  an  air  of  injured  dignity.  I  think  it  was 
the  fact  that  my  temper  was  so  the  opposite  of  his 
own  which  drew  him  to  me,  and  as  for  myself,  I  was 
proud  to  have  such  a  friend,  and  of  the  chance  to 
march  with  him  again  over  the  mountains  against 
the  French. 

He  knew  well  how  to  humor  me,  and  walked 
beside  me,  saying  nothing.  I  glanced  at  his  face, 
half  shamed  of  my  petulance,  and  I  saw  that  he 
was  no  longer  smiling.  His  lips  were  closed  in 
that  firm  straight  line  which  I  had  already  seen 
once  or  twice,  and  which  during  years  of  trial 
became  habitual  to  him.  My  own  petty  anger 
vanished  at  the  sight. 

"  I  have  not  yet  thanked  you,  Colonel  Washing 
ton,"  I  said  at  last,  "  for  securing  me  my  appoint 
ment.  I  was  eating  my  heart  out  to  make  the 
campaign,  but  saw  no  way  of  doing  so  until  your 
message  reached  me." 

"  Why,  Tom,"  he  laughed,  "  you  were  the  first 
of  whom  I  thought  when  General  Braddock  gave 
me  leave  to  fill  some  of  the  vacancies.  Did  you 
think  I  had  so  soon  forgot  the  one  who  saved  my 
life  at  Fort  Necessity  ?  " 


THE   STORY   OF  FONTENOY  17 

I  opened  iny  mouth  to  protest,  but  he  silenced 
me  with  a  gesture. 

"  I  can  see  it  as  though  it  were  here  before  us," 
he  continued.  "  The  French  and  Indians  on  the 
knoll  yonder,  my  own  men  kneeling  in  the  trenches, 
almost  waist-deep  in  water,  trying  in  vain  to  keep 
their  powder  dry  ;  here  and  there  a  wounded  man 
lying  in  the  mud  and  cursing,  the  rain  and  mist 
over  it  all,  and  the  night  coming  on.  And  then, 
suddenly,  the  rush  of  Indians  at  our  back,  and 
over  the  breastwork.  I  had  my  pistol  in  my  hand, 
you  remember,  Tom,  but  the  powder  flashed  in  the 
pan,  and  the  foremost  of  the  savages  was  upon  me. 
I  saw  his  tomahawk  in  the  air,  and  I  remember 
wondering  who  would  best  command  when  I  was 
dead.  But  your  aim  was  true  and  your  powder 
dry,  and  when  the  tomahawk  fell,  it  fell  harmless, 
with  its  owner  upon  it." 

For  a  moment  neither  of  us  spoke.  My  eyes 
were  wet  at  thought  of  the  scene  which  I  so  well 
remembered,  and  when  I  turned  to  him,  I  saw  that 
he  was  still  brooding  over  this  defeat,  which  had 
rankled  as  a  poisoned  arrow  in  his  breast  ever  since 
that  melancholy  morning  we  had  marched  away 
from  the  Great  Meadows  with  the  French  on 
either  side  and  the  Indians  looting  the  baggage  in 
the  rear.  As  we  reached  my  quarters,  we  turned 
by  a  common  impulse  and  continued  onward 
through  the  darkness. 

"  This  expedition  must  be  more  fortunate,"  he 
said  at  last,  as  though  in  answer  to  his  own  thought. 
"  A  thousand  regulars,  as  many  more  provincials, 


18  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

guns,  and  every  equipage,  —  yes,  it  is  large  enough 
and  strong  enough,  unless  " 

"  Unless  ?  "  I  questioned,  as  he  paused. 

"  Unless  we  walk  headlong  to  our  own  destruc 
tion,"  he  said.  "  But  no,  I  won't  believe  it.  The 
general  has  been  bred  in  the  Coldstreams  and  knows 
nothing  of  frontier  fighting.  But  he  is  a  brave 
man,  an  honest  man,  and  he  will  learn.  Small 
wonder  he  believes  in  discipline  after  serving  half 
a  century  in  such  a  regiment.  Have  you  ever 
heard  the  story  of  their  fight  at  Fontenoy,  ten 
years  since,  when  they  lost  two  hundred  and  forty 
men  ?  I  heard  it  three  nights  ago  at  the  general's 
table,  and  't  was  enough  to  make  a  man  weep  for 
very  pity  that  such  valor  should  count  for  naught." 

"  Tell  it  me,"  I  cried,  for  if  there  is  one  thing  I 
love  above  all  others,  —  yea,  even  yet,  when  I  must 
sit  useless  by,  —  it  is  the  tale  of  brave  deeds  nobly 
done. 

"  'T  was  on  the  eleventh  day  of  May,  seventeen 
forty-five,"  he  said,  "  that  the  English  and  the 
Dutch  met  the  French,  who  were  under  Marshal 
Saxe.  Louis  the  Fifteenth  himself  was  on  the  field, 
with  the  Grand  Dauphin  by  his  side  and  a  throng 
of  courtiers  about  him,  for  he  knew  how  much  de 
pended  on  the  issue  of  this  battle.  A  redoubt, 
held  by  the  famous  Guards,  bristling  with  cannon, 
covered  the  French  position.  The  Dutch,  appalled 
at  the  task  before  them,  refused  to  advance,  but 
his  Grace  of  Cumberland,  who  commanded  the 
English,  rose  equal  to  the  moment.  He  formed 
his  troops  in  column,  the  Coldstreams  at  its  head, 


THE   STORY   OF  FONTENOY  19 

and  gave  the  word  for  the  assault.  The  batteries 
thundered,  the  redoubt  was  crowned  with  flame, 
but  the  Coldstreams  turned  neither  to  the  right 
nor  left.  Straight  on  they  marched,  —  to  annihi 
lation,  as  it  seemed,  —  reforming  as  they  went, 
over  hill  and  gully,  as  steadily  as  on  parade.  At 
last  they  reached  their  goal,  and  an  instant's 
silence  fell  upon  the  field  as  they  faced  the  French. 
The  English  officers  raised  their  hats  to  their 
adversaries,  who  returned  the  salute  as  though 
they  were  at  Versailles,  not  looking  in  the  eyes 
of  death. 

"  '  Gentlemen  of  the  French  Guard,'  cried  Lord 
Charles  Hay,  '  fire,  if  you  please.' 

" '  Impossible,  monsieur,'  cried  the  Count  of 
Hauteroche  ;  '  the  French  Guards  never  fire  first. 
Pray,  fire  yourselves.' 

"  The  order  was  given,  and  the  French  ranks 
fell  as  grain  before  the  sickle.  They  gave  way, 
the  Coldstreams  advancing  in  perfect  order,  fir 
ing  volley  after  volley.  The  officers,  with  their 
rattans,  turned  the  men's  muskets  to  the  right  or 
left,  as  need  demanded.  Nothing  could  stop  that 
terrible  approach,  resistless  as  a  whirlwind,  and 
French  and  Swiss  broke  themselves  against  it,  only 
to  be  dashed  back  as  spray  from  a  rocky  coast. 
Regiment  after  regiment  was  repulsed,  and  the 
Coldstreams  still  advanced.  Saxe  thought  the 
battle  lost,  and  begged  the  king  and  the  dauphin 
to  flee  while  time  permitted.  At  the  last  desperate 
moment,  he  rallied  the  artillery  and  all  the  forces 
of  his  army  for  a  final  effort.  The  artillery  was 


20 

massed  before  the  English,  and  they  had  none  to 
answer  it.  The  king  himself  led  the  charge  against 
their  flanks,  which  the  Dutch  should  have  protected. 
But  the  Dutch  preferred  to  remain  safely  in  the 
rear.  The  Coldstreams  stood  their  ground,  reform 
ing  their  ranks  with  perfect  coolness,  until  Cum 
berland  saw  it  were  madness  to  remain,  and  or 
dered  the  retreat.  And  it  was  more  glorious 
than  the  advance.  With  only  half  their  number 
on  their  feet,  they  faced  about,  without  disorder, 
their  ranks  steady  and  unwavering,  and  moved  off 
sullenly  and  slowly,  as  though  ready  at  any  moment 
to  turn  again  and  rend  the  ranks  of  the  victors.  It 
was  a  deed  to  match  Thermopyla?." 

I  lifted  my  hat  from  my  head,  and  my  lips  were 
trembling. 

"  I  salute  them,"  I  said.  "  'T  was  well  done. 
And  was  General  Braddock  present  on  that  day  ?  " 

"  He  commanded  one  battalion  of  the  regiment. 
It  was  for  his  gallantry  there  that  he  was  promoted 
to  the  senior  majorship." 

"  I  shall  not  forget  it."  And  then  I  added, 
"  Perhaps  the  story  you  have  told  me  will  give  me 
greater  patience  with  our  drill-master." 

"  I  trust  so,  at  least,"  said  Washington,  with  a 
smile  ;  "  else  I  fear  there  will  be  little  peace  for  you 
in  the  army.  I  was  affected  by  the  story,  Tom,  no 
less  than  you  have  been,  but  after  I  had  left  the 
hall,  with  its  glamour  of  lights  and  gold  lace  and 
brilliant  uniforms,  I  wondered  if  this  discipline 
would  count  amid  the  forests  of  the  Ohio  as  it  did  on 
the  plains  of  Europe.  I  fancy,  in  the  battle  that  is 


THE   STORY   OF  FONTENOY  21 

to  come,  there  will  be  no  question  of  who  shall  fire 
first,  and  a  regiment  which  keeps  its  formation  will 
be  a  fair  mark  for  the  enemy.  Do  you  know,  Tom, 
my  great  hope  is  that  the  French  will  send  a  scout 
ing  party  of  their  Indian  allies  to  ambush  us,  and 
that  in  defeating  them,  our  commander  may  learn 
something  of  the  tactics  which  he  must  follow  to 
defeat  the  French." 

As  for  myself,  I  confess  I  shared  none  of  these 
forebodings,  and  welcomed  the  chance  to  turn  our 
talk  to  a  more  cheerful  subject. 

"  But  about  yourself  ?  "  I  questioned.  "  There 
is  much  I  wish  to  know.  Until  your  note  reached 
me,  I  had  not  heard  a  word  from  you  since  you 
rode  away  from  Mount  Vernon  with  Dinwiddie's 
messenger." 

His  face  cleared,  and  he  looked  at  me  with  a 
little  smile. 

"  We  went  direct  to  Williamsburg,"  he  said, 
"  where  I  first  met  the  general,  and  told  him  what 
I  know  about  the  country  which  he  has  to  cross. 
He  treated  me  most  civilly,  despite  some  whisper 
ings  which  went  on  behind  my  back,  and  shortly 
after  sent  me  a  courteous  invitation  to  serve  on 
his  staff.  Of  course  I  accepted,  —  you  know  how 
it  irked  me  to  remain  at  home,  —  but  I  gave  him 
at  the  same  time  a  statement  of  my  reason  for 
quitting  the  Virginia  service,  —  that  I  could  not 
consent  to  be  outranked  by  every  subaltern  who 
held  a  commission  from  the  king." 

I  nodded,  for  the  question  was  not  new  to  me, 
and  had  already  caused  me  much  heart-burning. 


22  A  SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

It  was  not  until  long  afterwards  that  I  saw  the 
general's  letter  among  Mrs.  Washington's  trea 
sures  at  Mount  Vernon,  but  it  seems  to  me  worthy 
of  reproduction  here.  Thus  it  ran  :  — 

WILLIAMSBURG,  2  March,  1755. 

SIR,  —  The  General  having  been  informed  that 
you  expressed  some  desire  to  make  the  campaign, 
but  that  you  declined  it  upon  some  disagreeable- 
ness  that  you  thought  might  arise  from  the  regu 
lations  of  command,  has  ordered  me  to  acquaint 
you  that  he  will  be  very  glad  of  your  company  in 
his  family,  by  which  all  inconveniences  of  that 
kind  will  be  obviated. 

I  shall  think  myself  very  happy  to  form  an  ac 
quaintance  with  a  person  so  universally  esteemed, 
and  shall  use  every  opportunity  of  assuring  you 
how  much  J  am,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 
ROBERT  ORME,  Aide-de-Camp. 

Had  Braddock  heeded  the  advice  of  the  man 
whom  he  asked  to  join  his  family,  the  event  might 
have  been  different.  But  I  must  not  anticipate, 
and  I  find  my  hardest  task  in  writing  what  is  be 
fore  me  is  to  escape  the  shadow  of  the  disaster 
which  was  to  come.  At  that  time,  and,  indeed, 
until  the  storm  burst,  few  of  us  had  penetration 
to  discern  the  cloud  on  the  horizon,  —  Colonel 
Washington,  Mr.  Franklin,  and  a  few  others,  per 
haps,  but  certainly  not  I.  It  is  easy  to  detect  mis 
takes  after  the  event,  and  to  conduct  a  campaign 
on  paper,  yet  few  who  saw  that  martial  array  of 


THE   STORY   OF   FONTENOY  23 

troops,  with  its  flying  banners  and  bright  uniforms, 
would  have  ordered  the  advance  differently. 

But  to  return. 

"  It  was  not  until  three  days  ago,"  continued 
Washington,  "that  I  was  able  to  rejoin  the  gen 
eral,  and  he  intrusted  me  with  a  message  to  Colonel 
Halket,  which  I  delivered  this  evening.  I  must 
start  back  to  Mount  Vernon  to-morrow  and  place 
my  affairs  in  order,  and  will  then  join  the  army 
at  Cumberland,  whence  the  start  is  to  be  made." 

"  And  what  make  of  man  is  the  general  ? "  I 
asked. 

A  cloud  settled  on  Washington's  face. 

"  Why,  Tom,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  have  seen  so 
little  of  him  that  I  may  misjudge  him.  He  is  at 
least  brave  and  honest,  two  great  things  in  a  com 
mander.  As  for  the  rest,  it  is  yet  too  soon  to 
judge.  But  you  have  told  me  nothing  about  your 
affairs.  How  did  you  leave  them  all  at  River- 
view  ?  " 

"  I  left  them  well  enough,"  I  answered  shortly. 

Washington  glanced  keenly  at  my  downcast 
face,  for  indeed  the  memory  of  what  had  occurred 
at  River  view  was  not  pleasant  to  me. 

"Did  you  quarrel  with  your  aunt  before  you 
came  away  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  and  stopped.  How  could  I  say 
more  ? 

"  I  feared  it  might  come  to  that,"  he  said  gravely. 
"  Your  position  there  has  been  a  false  one  from 
the  start.  And  yet  I  see  no  way  to  amend  it." 

We  walked  on  in  silence  for  some  time,  each 


24  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

busy  with  his  own  thoughts,  and  mine  at  least  were 
not  pleasant  ones. 

"  Tom,"  said  Washington  suddenly,  "  what  was 
the  quarrel  about  ?  Was  it  about  the  estate  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  answered.  "  We  shall  never  quar 
rel  about  the  estate.  We  have  already  settled  all 
that.  It  was  something  quite  different." 

I  could  not  tell  hirn  what  it  was ;  the  secret  was 
not  my  own. 

He  looked  at  me  again  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
stopping  suddenly,  wheeled  me  around  to  face  him, 
and  caught  my  hand. 

"  I  think  I  can  guess,"  he  said  warmly,  "  and  I 
wish  you  every  happiness,  Tom." 

My  lips  were  trembling  so  I  could  not  thank 
him,  but  I  think  he  knew  what  was  in  my  heart. 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   WHICH   I  INTRODUCE    MYSELF 

I  DOUBT  not  that  by  this  time  the  reader  is 
beginning  to  wonder  who  this  fellow  is  that  has 
claimed  his  attention,  and  so,  since  there  is  no  one 
else  to  introduce  me,  I  must  needs  present  myself. 

It  so  happened  that  when  that  stern  old  lion, 
Oliver  Cromwell,  crushed  the  butterfly  named 
Charles  Stuart  at  Worcester  in  the  dim  dawn  of 
the  third  day  of  September,  1651,  and  utterly 
routed  the  army  of  that  unhappy  prince,  one 
Thomas  Stewart  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Round 
heads,  as,  indeed,  did  near  seven  thousand  others 
of  the  Royalist  army.  Now  this  Thomas  Stewart 
had  very  foolishly  left  a  pretty  estate  in  Kincar 
dine,  together  with  a  wife  and  two  sturdy  boys, 
to  march  under  the  banner  of  the  Pretender,  as 
he  conceived  to  be  his  duty,  and  after  giving  and 
taking  many  hard  knocks,  here  he  was  in  the 
enemy's  hands,  and  Charles  Stuart  a  fugitive. 
They  had  one  and  all  been  declared  by  Parliament 
rebels  and  traitors  to  the  Commonwealth,  so  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  captives  were  chosen  for 
examples  to  the  rest,  and  three  of  them,  the  Earl 
of  Derby  among  the  number,  were  sent  forthwith 
to  the  block,  where  they  comported  themselves  as 


26  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

brave  men  should,  and  laid  down  their  heads  right 
cheerfully. 

The  others  were  sent  to  prison,  since  it  was 
manifestly  impossible  to  execute  them  all,  —  nor 
was  Cromwell  so  bloodthirsty,  now  the  rebellion 
was  broken  utterly,  —  and  some  sixteen  hundred 
of  them  were  sentenced  to  be  transported  to  the 
colony  of  Virginia,  which  had  long  been  a  dump 
ing  ground  for  convicts  and  felons  and  political 
scapegoats.  Hither,  then,  they  came,  in  ships 
crowded  to  suffocation,  and  many  dead  upon  the 
way  and  thrown  to  the  sharks  for  burial,  but  for 
some  reason  only  one  of  the  ships  stopped  here, 
while  the  others  went  on  to  Barbadoes  to  dis 
charge  their  living  freight.  I  more  than  suspect 
that  Cromwell's  agents  soon  discovered  the  Com 
monwealth  had  few  friends  in  Virginia,  and  feared 
the  effect  of  letting  loose  here  so  many  of  the  Pre 
tender's  soldiers.  At  any  rate,  this  one  ship 
dropped  anchor  at  Hampton,  and  its  passengers, 
to  the  number  of  about  three  hundred,  were  sold 
very  cheaply  to  the  neighboring  planters.  I  may 
as  well  say  here  that  all  of  them  were  well  treated 
by  their  Cavalier  masters,  and  many  of  them  after 
wards  became  the  founders  of  what  are  now  the 
most  prominent  families  in  the  colony. 

Now  one  of  those  who  had  been  sold  in  Virginia 
was  the  Thomas  Stewart  whom  I  have  already 
mentioned,  and  whom  neither  stinking  jail  nor 
crowded  transport  had  much  affected.  Doubtless, 
no  matter  what  the  surroundings,  he  had  only  to 
close  his  eyes  to  see  again  before  him  the  green 


IN  WHICH  I  INTRODUCE  MYSELF         27 

hills  and  plashing  brooks  of  Kincardine,  with  his 
own  home  in  the  midst,  and  the  bonny  wife  wait 
ing  at  the  door,  a  boy  on  either  side.  Alas,  it 
was  only  thus  he  was  ever  to  see  them  this  side 
heaven.  He  was  bought  by  a  man  named  Nich 
olas  Spenser,  who  owned  a  plantation  on  the 
Potomac  in  Westmoreland  County,  and  there  he 
worked,  first  as  laborer  and  then  as  overseer,  for 
nigh  upon  ten  years.  His  master  treated  him  with 
great  kindness,  and  at  the  Restoration,  having  made 
tenfold  his  purchase  money  by  him,  gave  him  back 
his  freedom. 

Despite  the  years  and  the  hard  work  in  the  to 
bacco-fields,  Stewart's  thoughts  had  often  been  with 
the  wife  and  children  he  had  left  behind  in  Scot 
land,  and  he  prevailed  upon  Spenser  to  secure  him 
passage  in  one  of  his  ships  for  London,  where  he 
arrived  early  in  1662.  He  made  his  way  back  to 
Kincardine,  where  he  found  his  estate  sequestered, 
his  wife  and  one  child  dead  in  poverty,  the  other 
disappeared.  From  a  neighbor  he  learned  that 
the  boy  had  run  away  to  sea  after  his  mother's 
death,  but  what  his  fate  had  been  he  never  knew. 
Weary  and  disheartened,  Stewart  retraced  his 
steps  to  London,  and  after  overcoming  obstacles 
innumerable,  occasioned  mostly  by  his  want  of 
money,  laid  his  case  before  the  king.  Charles  lis 
tened  to  him  kindly  enough,  for  his  office  had  not 
yet  grown  a  burden  to  him,  and  finally  granted 
him  a  patent  for  two  thousand  acres  of  land  along 
the  upper  Potomac.  It  was  a  gift  which  cost 
the  king  nothing,  and  one  of  a  hundred  such  he 


28  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

bestowed  upon  his  favorites  as  another  man  would 
give  a  crust  of  bread  for  which  he  had  no  use. 
Stewart  returned  to  Virginia  with  his  patent  in 
his  pocket,  and  built  himself  a  home  in  what  was 
then  a  wilderness. 

In  five  or  six  years  he  had  cleared  near  three 
hundred  acres  of  land,  had  it  planted  in  sweet- 
scented  tobacco,  for  which  the  Northern  Neck  was 
always  famous,  bought  two-score  negroes  to  tend 
it,  and  began  to  see  light  ahead.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  he  met  Marjorie  Usner,  while  on  a  visit 
to  Williamsburg,  and  he  married  her  in  1670, 
having  in  the  mean  time  erected  a  more  spacious 
residence  than  the  rude  log-hut  which  had  previ 
ously  been  his  home.  He  was  at  that  time  a  man 
nigh  fifty  years  of  age,  but  handsome  enough,  I 
dare  say,  and  well  preserved  by  his  life  of  outdoor 
toil.  Certainly  Mistress  Marjorie,  who  must  have 
been  much  younger,  made  him  a  good  wife,  and 
when  he  died,  in  1685,  he  left  a  son  and  a  daugh 
ter,  besides  an  estate  valued  at  several  thousands 
of  pounds,  accumulated  with  true  Scottish  thrift. 
It  was  this  daughter  who  named  the  estate  River- 
view,  and  though  the  house  was  afterwards  remod 
eled,  the  name  was  never  changed.  The  Stewarts 
continued  to  live  there,  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,  and  growing  ever  wealthier,  for  the  next 
half  century,  at  the  end  of  which  time  occurred 
the  events  that  brought  me  into  being. 

In  1733,  Thomas  Stewart,  great-grandson  of 
the  Scotsman,  was  master  of  Riverview.  His  por 
trait,  which  hangs  to-day  to  the  left  of  the  fire- 


IN  WHICH  I  INTRODUCE  MYSELF          29 

place  in  the  great  hall,  shows  him  a  white-haired, 
red-faced,  choleric  gentleman,  with  gray  eyes  and 
proudly  smiling  mouth.  He  had  been  chosen  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  as  had  his 
father  before  him,  and  was  one  of  the  most  con 
siderable  men  in  the  county.  His  son,  Tom,  was 
just  twenty-one,  and  had  inherited  from  his  father 
the  hasty  temper  and  invincible  stubbornness 
which  belong  to  all  the  Stewarts. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  1733  that  they  made  the 
trip  to  Williamsburg  which  was  to  have  such  mo 
mentous  consequences.  The  House  of  Burgesses 
was  in  session,  and  Mr.  Stewart,  as  the  custom 
was,  took  his  whole  family  with  him  to  the  capital. 
I  fancy  I  can  see  them  as  they  looked  that  day. 
The  great  coach,  brought  from  London  at  a  cost  of 
so  many  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco,  is  polished 
until  it  shines  again.  The  four  horses  are  har 
nessed  to  it,  and  Sambo,  mouth  stretched  from  ear 
to  ear,  drives  it  around  to  the  front  of  the  man 
sion,  where  a  broad  flight  of  stone  steps  leads 
downward  from  the  wide  veranda.  The  footmen 
and  outriders  spring  to  their  places,  their  liveries 
agleam  with  buckles,  the  planter  and  his  lady  and 
their  younger  son  enter  the  coach,  while  young 
Tom  mounts  his  horse  and  prepares  to  ride  by 
the  window.  The  odorous  cedar  chests  containing 
my  lady's  wardrobe  are  strapped  behind  or  piled 
on  top,  the  negroes  form  a  grinning  avenue,  the 
whip  cracks,  and  they  are  off,  half  a  dozen  servants 
following  in  an  open  cart.  It  is  a  four  days' 
journey  to  Williamsburg,  over  roads  whose  rough- 


30  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

ness  tests  the  coach's  strength  to  the  uttermos^ 
but  it  is  the  one  event  of  all  the  year  to  this  iso 
lated  family,  and  small  wonder  that  they  look  for- 
ward  to  it  with  eager  anticipation. 

Once  arrived  at  William sburg,  what  craning 
of  necks  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  kissing 
of  hands  to  acquaintances,  as  the  coach  rolls  along 
the  wide,  white,  sandy  street,  scorching  in  the  sun, 
with  the  governor's  house,  called  by  courtesy  a 
palace,  at  one  end,  and  the  College  of  William 
and  Mary  at  the  other,  and  perhaps  two  hundred 
straggling  wooden  houses  in  between.  The  coaches 
and  chariots  which  line  the  street  give  earnest 
of  the  families  already  assembled  from  Princess 
Ann  to  Fairfax  and  the  Northern  Neck.  My  lady 
notes  that  the  Burkes  have  at  last  got  them  a 
new  chariot  from  London,  and  her  husband  looks 
with  appreciative  eyes  at  the  handsome  team  of 
matched  grays  which  draw  it.  As  for  young  Tom, 
his  eyes,  I  warrant,  are  on  none  of  these,  but  on 
the  bevy  of  blooming  girls  who  promenade  the 
side-path,  arrayed  in  silks  and  satins  and  brocades, 
their  eyes  alight,  their  cheeks  aglow  with  the  joy 
of  youth  and  health.  Small  blame  to  him,  say 
I,  for  that  is  just  where  my  own  eyes  would  have 
been. 

That  very  night  Governor  Gooch  gave  a  ball  at 
his  palace,  and  be  sure  the  Stewart  family  was 
there,  my  lady  in  her  new  London  gown  of  flowered 
damask  in  the  very  latest  mode,  and  Tom  in  his 
best  suit  of  peach-blossom  velvet,  and  in  great 
hopes  of  attracting  to  himself  some  of  the  bright 


IN  WHICH   I   INTRODUCE  MYSELF          31 

eyes  he  had  seen  that  afternoon.  Nor  was  he 
wholly  unsuccessful,  for  one  pair  of  black  eyes 
rested  on  his  for  a  moment,  —  they  were  those  of 
Mistress  Patricia  Wyeth,  —  and  he  straightway 
fell  a  victim  to  their  charms,  as  what  young  man 
with  warm  heart  and  proper  spirit  would  not? 
Young  Tom  must  himself  have  possessed  unusual 
attractions,  or  a  boldness  in  wooing  which  his  son 
does  not  inherit,  for  at  the  end  of  a  week  he  dis- 
tiirbed  his  father  at  his  morning  dram  to  inform 
him  that  he  and  Mistress  Patricia  had  decided  to 
get  married. 

"  Married  !  "  cried  the  elder  Stewart.  "  Why, 
damme,  sir,  do  you  know  who  the  Wyeths  are?  " 

"  I  know  who  Patricia  is,"  answered  young 
Tom  very  proudly,  his  head  well  up  at  this  first 
sign  of  opposition.  "  I  care  naught  about  the 
rest  of  them." 

"  But  I  care,  sir  !  "  shouted  his  father.  "  Why, 
the  girl  won't  have  a  shilling  to  bless  herself  with. 
Old  Wyeth  has  gambled  away  every  penny  he  pos 
sesses,  and  a  good  many  more  than  he  possesses, 
too,  so  they  tell  me,  at  his  infernal  horse-racing 
and  cock-fighting,  and  God  knows  what  else.  A 
gentleman  may  play,  sir,  —  I  throw  the  dice  oc 
casionally,  myself,  and  love  to  see  a  well-matched 
race  as  well  as  any  man,  —  but  he  ceases  to  be  a 
gentleman  the  moment  he  plays  beyond  his  means, 
—  a  fact  which  you  will  do  well  to  remember.  A 
pretty  match  for  a  Stewart  'pon  my  word !  " 

During  this  harangue  young  Tom  would  have 
interrupted  more  than  once,  but  his  father  silenced 


32  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

him  with  a  passionate  waving  of  his  arm.  At 
last  he  was  compelled  to  pause  for  want  of  breath 
to  say  more,  and  the  boy  got  in  a  word. 

"  All  this  is  beside  the  point,  father,"  he  said 
hotly.  "  My  word  is  given,  and  I  intend  to  keep 
it.  Even  if  it  were  not  given,  I  should  still  do 
my  best  to  win  Patricia,  because  I  love  her." 

"  Love  her,  and  welcome !  "  cried  his  father. 
"  Marry  her,  if  you  want  to.  But  you  '11  never 
bring  a  pauper  like  that  inside  my  house  while  I 
am  alive." 

"  Nor  after  you  are  dead,  if  you  do  not  wish  it," 
answered  Tom,  with  his  head  higher  in  the  air  than 
ever. 

"  No,  nor  after  I  am  dead  !  "  thundered  the  old 
man,  his  anger  no  doubt  carrying  him  farther 
than  he  intended  going.  "  You  are  acting  like  a 
scoundrel,  sir.  You  know  well  enough  I  can't  cut 
you  out  of  the  estate,  since  you  are  the  eldest,  so 
you  think  to  take  advantage  of  me." 

"  Never  fear,  sir,"  cried  Tom,  his  lips  white  with 
anger  and  his  eyes  ablaze.  "You  shall  ask  me 
back  to  Riverview  yourself  ere  I  return  there  ;  yes, 
and  beg  my  wife's  pardon  for  insulting  her." 

"  Then,  by  God,  you  '11  never  return  !  "  snorted 
his  father,  and  without  waiting  to  hear  more,  Tom 
stalked  from  the  room  and  from  the  house.  I  think 
even  then  his  father  would  have  called  him  back, 
had  the  boy  given  him  the  chance,  and  his  face  was 
less  red  than  usual  when  he  heard  the  street  door 
slam. 

Of  course  there  was  a  great  to-do  immediately. 


IN  WHICH  I   INTRODUCE   MYSELF          33 

Tom's  mother  interceded  for  him,  and  I  doubt  not 
a  single  word  on  his  part  would  have  won  full  par 
don  from  his  father,  but  one  was  no  less  stubborn 
than  the  other,  and  the  word  was  never  spoken. 
When  Mistress  Patricia  heard  of  the  quarrel,  she 
straightway  informed  her  lover  that  she  would 
never  marry  him  and  ruin  his  inheritance,  and  re 
turned  to  her  home  above  Charles  City,  taking  her 
old  reprobate  of  a  father  with  her,  where  he  died 
not  long  afterwards,  perhaps  finding  life  not  worth 
living  when  there  remained  no  one  who  would  take 
his  wagers. 

At  the  close  of  the  session,  the  Stewart  coach 
rolled  back  to  Riverview,  but  young  Tom  did  not 
ride  beside  it.  He  remained  at  Williamsburg,  and 
managed  to  pick  up  a  scanty  practice  as  an  attorney, 
for  he  had  read  a  little  law  in  want  of  something 
better  to  do,  and  to  fit  himself  for  his  coming  honors 
as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  And  at 
Riverview  his  father  moped  in  his  office  and  about 
his  fields,  growing  ever  more  crabbed  and  more 
obstinate,  and  falling  into  a  rage  whenever  any  one 
dared  mention  Tom's  name  before  him. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1734  that  Tom  Stewart 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  out  of  Williamsburg 
across  the  Chickahominy,  to  try  his  fortune  once 
more  with  Patricia  Wyeth.  The  winter  had  been 
a  hard  one  for  a  man  brought  up  as  Tom  had  been, 
and  that  suit  of  peach-bloom  velvet  had  long  since 
been  converted  into  bread.  Yet  still  he  made  a 
gallant  figure  when,  on  the  evening  of  an  April  day, 
he  cantered  up  the  road  to  Patricia's  home,  and  I 


34  A  SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

dare  say  the  heart  of  the  owner  of  those  bright 
eyes  which  peeped  out  upon  him  from  an  upper 
window  beat  faster  when  they  saw  him  coming. 
But  it  was  a  very  demure  little  maiden  who  met 
him  at  the  great  door  as  he  entered,  and  gave  him 
her  hand  to  kiss.  She  was  all  in  white,  with  a 
sprig  of  blossoms  in  her  hair,  and  she  must  have 
made  a  pretty  picture  standing  there,  and  one  to 
warm  the  heart  of  any  man. 

Of  the  week  that  followed,  neither  my  father  nor 
my  mother  ever  told  me  much,  —  its  memories  were 
too  sweet  to  trust  to  words,  perhaps,  —  but  the  event 
was,  that  on  the  first  day  of  May,  1734,  Thomas 
Stewart,  attorney,  and  Patricia  Wyeth,  spinster, 
were  made  man  and  wife  in  Westover  church  by 
the  Reverend  Peter  Fontaine,  of  sainted  memory. 
How  well  I  recall  his  benign  face,  and  what  tears 
of  affectionate  remembrance  brimmed  my  eyes 
when  I  heard,  not  long  ago,  that  he  was  dead !  The 
closing  sentences  of  his  will  show  how  he  ever 
thought  of  others  and  not  of  himself,  for  he  wrote : 
"  My  will  and  desire  is,  that  I  may  have  no  public 
funeral,  but  that  my  corpse  may  be  accompanied 
by  a  few  of  my  nearest  neighbors ;  that  no  liquors 
be  given  to  make  any  of  the  company  drunk,  — 
many  instances  of  which  I  have  seen,  to  the  great 
scandal  of  the  Christian  religion  and  abuse  of  so 
solemn  an  ordinance.  I  desire  none  of  my  family 
to  go  in  mourning  for  me."  His  sister  sent  me  a 
copy  of  the  will,  and  a  very  pretty  letter,  in  which 
she  told  me  how  her  brother  often  spoke  of  me,  and 
wished  me  to  have  his  Bible.  It  is  there  on  the 


IN  WHICH   I   INTRODUCE   MYSELF          35 

shelf  at  my  bedside,  and  while  God  gives  me  life  I 
will  read  in  no  other. 

It  was  in  the  modest  Wyeth  homestead,  on  the 
bank  of  the  James,  that  my  father  and  mother  en 
tered  upon  their  honeymoon.  Of  the  depth  of  their 
love  for  each  other  I  know  best  of  all,  and  the 
summer  slipped  away  on  golden  wings.  My  father 
thought  no  more  of  returning  to  Williamsburg,  nor 
did  he  greatly  regret  Riverview.  He  wrote  a  formal 
letter  to  his  mother  announcing  his  marriage,  but 
no  answer  came  to  it,  and  I  doubt  not  that  worthy 
woman  sobbed  herself  to  sleep  more  than  once  in 
grieving  over  the  obstinacy  of  her  husband  and  her 
son.  Dear  lady,  it  was  this  trouble  which  did  much 
to  shorten  her  days,  and  the  end  came  soon  after 
wards.  'T  is  said  that  on  her  deathbed  she  tried 
to  soften  her  husband's  heart  against  their  boy, 
but  with  such  ill  success  that  she  fell  sobbing  into 
the  sleep  from  which  she  was  never  to  awaken.  To 
such  a  degree  can  a  fault  persisted  in  change  the 
natural  humor  of  a  man. 

My  father,  perhaps,  hoped  for  a  reply  to  his  letter, 
but  he  showed  no  sign  of  disappointment  when 
none  came,  and  never  spoke  upon  the  subject  to  my 
mother.  He  soon  found  enough  in  his  affairs  at 
home  to  occupy  his  mind,  for  old  Samuel  Wyeth 
had  left  the  estate  sadly  incumbered  with  his  debts, 
and  more  than  half  of  it  was  sacrificed  to  save  the 
rest.  With  care  and  frugality,  there  yet  remained 
enough  to  live  on,  and  for  the  first  year,  at  least, 
there  came  no  cloud  to  dim  their  happiness.  Their 
cup  of  joy  was  full  to  overflowing,  so  my  mother 


36  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

often  told  me,  when,  on  the  night  of  April  15, 1735, 
a  child  was  born  to  them.  It  was  a  boy,  and  a 
week  later,  before  the  altar  of  the  little  Westover 
church,  its  worthy  rector  christened  the  child 
"Thomas  Stewart,"  the  fifth  of  his  line  in  the 
New  World. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON 

BESIDES  my  father  and  my  mother,  the  figure 
which  stands  out  most  clearly  in  my  memory  of 
my  childhood  is  that  of  the  man  who  christened 
me.  I  cannot  remember  the  time  when  I  did  not 
know  and  love  him.  He  was  a  tall,  well-built  man, 
with  kindly  face  and  clear  blue  eyes  which  dark 
ened  when  any  emotion  stirred  him,  and  rode  — 
how  well  I  remember  it !  —  a  big,  bony,  gray  horse. 
It  was  on  this  horse's  back  that  I  took  my  first  ride, 
when  I  was  scarce  out  of  petticoats,  and  often  after 
that,  held  carefully  before  him  on  the  saddle,  or,  as 
I  grew  older,  bumping  joyously  behind,  my  arms 
about  his  waist.  My  place  was  always  on  his  knee 
when  he  was  within  our  doors,  and  he  held  me 
there  with  unfailing  good  humor  during  his  long 
talks  with  my  mother,  of  which  I,  for  the  most 
part,  comprehended  nothing,  except  that  oftentimes 
they  spoke  of  me,  and  then  he  would  smooth  my 
hair  with  great  tenderness.  But  I  sat  there  quite 
content,  and  sometimes  dozed  off  with  my  head 
against  his  flowered  waistcoat,  —  it  was  his  one 
vanity,  —  and  wakened  only  when  he  set  me  gently 
down. 

It  was  not  until  I  grew  older  that  I  learned  some- 


38  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

thing  of  his  history.  One  day,  he  had  seized  time 
from  his  parish  work  to  take  me  for  a  ramble  along 
the  river,  and  as  we  reached  the  limit  of  our  walk 
and  sat  down  for  a  moment's  rest  before  starting 
homeward,  and  looked  across  the  wide  water,  I 
asked  him,  with  a  childish  disregard  for  his  feelings, 
if  it  were  true  that  his  father  was  a  Frenchman, 
adding  that  I  hoped  it  were  not  true,  because  I  did 
not  like  the  French. 

"  Yes,  it  is  true,"  he  answered,  and  looked  down 
at  me,  smiling  sadly.  "  Shall  I  tell  you  the  story, 
Thomas  ?  " 

I  nodded  eagerly,  for  I  loved  to  listen  to  stories, 
especially  true  ones. 

"  When  Louis  Fourteenth  was  King  of  France," 
he  began,  and  I  think  he  took  a  melancholy  plea 
sure  in  telling  it,  "  he  issued  a  decree  commanding 
all  the  Protestants,  who  in  France  are  called  Hugue 
nots,  to  abjure  their  faith  and  become  Catholics, 
or  leave  the  kingdom.  He  had  oftentimes  before 
promised  them  protection,  but  he  was  growing  old 
and  weak,  and  thought  that  this  might  help  to  save 
his  soul,  which  was  in  great  need  of  saving,  for  he 
had  been  a  wicked  king.  My  father  and  my 
mother  were  Huguenots,  and  they  chose  to  leave 
their  home  rather  than  give  up  their  faith,  as  did 
many  thousand  others,  and  after  suffering  many 
hardships,  escaped  to  England,  with  no  worldly 
possession  save  the  clothes  upon  their  backs,  but 
with  a  great  treasure  in  heaven  and  an  abiding 
trust  in  the  Lord.  They  had  six  children,  and 
after  giving  us  a  good  education,  especially  as  to 


'THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON       39 

our  religion,  committed  us  to  the  providence  of  a 
covenant  God  to  seek  our  fortunes  in  the  wide 
world.  All  of  us  came  to  America,  although  Moses 
and  John  have  since  returned  to  England.  James 
is  a  farmer  in  King  William  County,  Francis  is 
minister  of  York-Hampton  parish,  and  sister  Ruth 
lives  with  rne,  as  you  know." 

A  great  deal  more  he  told  me,  which  slipped 
from  my  memory,  for  I  was  thinking  over  what  he 
had  already  said. 

"  And  your  mother  and  father,"  I  asked,  as  we 
started  back  together,  "fled  from  France  rather 
than  give  up  their  faith  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  and  smiled  down  into  my 
eyes,  raised  anxiously  to  his. 

"  And  were  persecuted  just  as  the  early  martyrs 
were  ?  " 

"  Yes,  very  much  the  same.  All  of  their  goods 
were  taken  from  them,  and  they  were  long  in 
prison." 

"  But  they  were  never  sorry  ?  " 

"  No,  they  were  never  sorry.  No  one  is  ever 
sorry  for  doing  a  thing  like  that." 

I  trotted  on  in  silence  for  a  moment,  holding 
tight  to  his  kindly  hand,  and  revolving  this  new 
idea  in  my  mind.  At  last  I  looked  up  at  him,  big 
with  purpose. 

"  I  am  going  to  do  something  like  that  some 
day,"  I  said. 

He  gazed  down  at  me,  his  eyes  shining  queerly. 

"  God  grant  that  you  may  have  the  strength, 
my  boy,"  he  said.  He  bent  and  kissed  me,  and 


40  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

we  returned  to  the  house  together  without  saying 
another  word. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Fontaine  family  to  hold 
a  meeting  every  year  to  give  thanks  for  the  deliver 
ance  from  persecution  of  their  parents  in  France, 
and  I  remember  being  present  with  my  father  and 
mother  at  one  of  these  meetings  when  I  was  seven 
or  eight  years  old.  One  passage  of  the  sermon  he 
preached  on  that  occasion  remained  fixed  indelibly 
in  my  mind.  He  took  his  text  from  Romans, 
"  That  ye  may  with  one  mind  and  one  mouth 
glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  He  applied  the  duty  thus  enjoined  to  the 
Fontaine  family,  saying,  — 

"  For  many  weary  months  was  our  father  forced 
to  shift  among  forests  and  deserts  for  his  safety, 
because  he  had  dared  to  preach  the  word  of  God 
to  the  innocent  and  sincere  people  among  whom  he 
lived,  and  who  desired  to  be  instructed  in  their 
duty  and  to  be  confirmed  in  their  faith.  The  for 
est  afforded  him  a  shelter  and  the  rocks  a  resting- 
place,  but  his  enemies  gave  him  no  quiet,  and  pur 
sued  him  even  to  these  fastnesses,  until  finally,  of 
his  own  accord,  he  delivered  himself  to  them.  They 
loaded  his  hands  with  chains,  a  dungeon  was  his 
abode,  and  his  feet  stuck  fast  in  the  mire.  Mur 
derers  and  thieves  were  his  companions,  yet  even 
among  them  did  he  pursue  his  labors,  until  God, 
by  means  of  a  pious  gentlewoman,  who  had  seen 
and  pitied  his  sufferings,  relieved  him." 

To  my  childish  imagination,  the  picture  thus 
painted  was  a  real  and  living  one,  and  filled  me 


THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON   41 

with  a  singular  exaltation.  I  think  each  of  us  at 
some  time  of  his  life  has  felt,  as  I  did  then,  a  de 
sire  to  suffer  for  conscience'  sake. 

The  preachers  of  Virginia  were,  as  a  whole,  any 
thing  but  admirable,  a  condition  due  no  doubt  to 
the  worldly  spirit  which  pervaded  the  church  on 
both  sides  of  the  ocean.  The  average  parson  was 
then  —  and  many  of  them  still  are  —  coarse  and 
rough,  as  contact  with  the  forests  and  waste  places 
of  the  world  will  often  make  men,  even  godly  ones. 
But  many  of  them  were  worse  than  that,  gamblers 
and  drunkards.  They  hunted  the  fox  across  coun 
try  with  great  halloo,  mounted  on  fast  horses  of 
their  own.  They  attended  horse-races  and  cock 
fights,  almost  always  with  some  money  on  the  out 
come,  and  frequently  with  a  horse  or  cock  entered 
in  the  races  or  the  pittings.  And  when  the  sport 
was  over,  they  would  accompany  the  planters  home 
to  dinner,  which  ended  in  a  drinking-bout,  and  it 
was  seldom  the  parson  who  went  under  the  table 
first.  One  fought  a  duel  in  the  graveyard  behind 
his  church,  —  our  own  little  Westover  church,  it 
was,  —  and  succeeded  in  pinking  his  opponent 
through  the  breast,  for  which  he  had  incontinently 
to  return  to  England  ;  another  stopped  the  com 
munion  which  he  was  celebrating,  and  bawled  out 
to  his  warden,  "  Here,  George,  this  bread  's  not 
fit  for  a  dog,"  nor  would  he  go  on  with  the  service 
until  bread  more  to  his  liking  had  been  brought ; 
another  married  a  wealthy  widow,  though  he  had 
already  a  wife  living  in  England.  His  bishop  was 
compelled  to  recall  him,  but  I  never  heard  that 


42  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

he  was  discharged  from  holy  orders.  Another  on 
a  certain  Saturday  called  a  meeting  of  his  vestry, 
and  when  they  refused  to  take  some  action  which 
he  desired,  thrashed  them  all  soundly,  and  on  the 
next  day  added  insult  to  injury  by  preaching  to 
them  from  the  text,  "  And  I  contended  with  them, 
and  cursed  them,  and  smote  certain  of  them,  and 
plucked  off  their  hair."  I  should  like  to  have 
seen  the  faces  of  the  vestrymen  while  the  sermon 
was  in  progress  !  It  was  not  an  unusual  sight  to 
see  the  parson  riding  home  from  some  great  dinner 
tied  fast  in  his  chaise  to  keep  him  from  falling  out, 
as  the  result  of  over-indulgence  in  the  planter's 
red  wine.  But  our  worthy  pastor,  during  his  forty 
years'  ministry  in  Charles  City  parish,  was  con 
cerned  in  no  such  escapades,  and  I  count  it  one 
of  the  great  happinesses  of  my  life  that  I  had  the 
good  fortune  to  fall  under  the  influence  of  such  a 
man.  A  passage  of  a  letter  written  by  him  to  one 
of  his  brothers  in  England  on  the  subject  of  pre 
serving  health  gives  an  outline  of  the  rules  of  his 
life.  After  commending  active  exercise  in  the 
open  air  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  he  says,  "  I 
drink  no  spirituous  liquors  at  all ;  but  when  I  am 
obliged  to  take  more  than  ordinary  fatigue,  either 
in  serving  my  churches  or  other  branches  of  duty, 
I  take  one  glass  of  good  old  Madeira  wine,  which 
revives  me,  and  contributes  to  my  going  through 
without  much  fatigue." 

One  other  figure  do  I  recall  distinctly.  We  had 
driven  to  church  as  usual  one  Sunday  morning  in 
early  fall,  and  when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  little 


THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON        43 

brick  building,  peeping  through  its  veil  of  ivy,  I 
was  surprised  to  see  the  parishioners  in  line  on 
either  side  the  path  which  led  to  the  broad,  low 
doorway.  Mr.  Fontaine  stood  there  as  though  await 
ing  some  one,  and  when  he  saw  us,  came  down  the 
steps  and  spoke  a  word  to  father.  In  a  moment, 
from  down  the  road  came  the  rumble  of  heavy 
wheels,  and  then  a  great,  gorgeous,  yellow  chariot, 
with  four  outriders,  swung  into  view  and  drew  up 
with  a  flourish  before  the  church.  The  footmen 
sprang  to  the  door,  opened  it,  and  let  down  the 
steps.  I,  who  was  staring  with  all  my  eyes,  as  you 
may  well  believe,  saw  descend  a  little  old  man, 
very  weak  and  very  tremulous,  yet  holding  his  head 
proudly,  and  after  him  a  younger.  They  came 
slowly  up  the  walk,  the  old  man  leaning  heavily 
upon  the  other's  shoulder  and  nodding  recognition 
to  right  and  left.  As  they  drew  near,  I  caught 
the  gleam  of  a  great  jewel  on  his  sword-hilt,  and 
then  of  others  on  finger,  knee,  and  instep.  The 
younger  bore  himself  very  erect  and  haughty,  yet 
I  saw  the  two  were  fashioned  in  one  mould.  On 
up  the  steps  and  into  the  church  they  went,  Mr. 
Fontaine  before  and  we  after  them.  They  took 
their  seats  in  the  great  pew  with  the  curious  carv 
ing  on  the  back,  which  I  had  never  before  seen 
occupied. 

"  Who  are  the  gentlemen,  mother  ?  "  I  whispered, 
so  soon  as  I  could  get  her  ear. 

"  It  is  Colonel  Byrd  and  his  son  come  back  from 
London,"  she  answered.  "  Now  take  your  eyes  off 
them  and  attend  the  service." 


44  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

Take  my  eyes  off  them  I  did,  by  a  great  effort 
of  will,  but  I  fear  I  heard  little  of  the  service,  for 
my  mind  was  full  of  the  great  house  on  the  river- 
bank,  which  it  had  once  been  my  fortune  to  visit. 
Mr.  Fontaine  had  taken  me  with  him  in  his  chaise 
for  a  pastoral  call  at  quite  the  other  end  of  his  par 
ish,  and  as  we  returned,  we  were  caught  in  a  sudden 
storm  of  rain.  My  companion  had  hesitated  for  a 
moment,  and  then  turned  his  horse's  head  through 
a  gateway  with  a  curious  monogram  in  iron  at  the 
top,  along  an  avenue  of  stately  tulip-trees,  and  so 
to  the  door  of  a  massive  square  mansion  of  red 
brick,  which  stood  on  a  little  knoll  overlooking  the 
James.  The  door  was  closed  and  the  windows 
shuttered,  but  half  a  dozen  negroes  came  running 
from  the  back  at  the  sound  of  our  wheels  and  took 
us  in  out  of  the  storm.  A  mighty  fire  was  started 
in  the  deep  fireplace,  and  as  I  stood  steaming  before 
it,  I  looked  with  dazzled  eyes  at  the  great  carved 
staircase,  at  the  paintings  and  at  the  books,  of 
which  there  were  many  hundreds. 

Presently  the  old  overseer,  whom  Mr.  Fontaine 
addressed  as  Murray,  and  who  had  grown  from 
youth  to  trembling  age  in  the  Byrd  service,  came 
in  to  offer  us  refreshment,  and  over  the  table  they 
fell  to  gossiping. 

"  Westover  's  not  the  place  it  was,"  said  Murray, 
sipping  his  flip  disconsolately,  —  "  not  the  place  it 
was  while  Miss  Evelyn  was  alive.  There  was  no 
other  like  it  in  Virginia  then.  Why,  it  was  always 
full  of  gay  company,  and  the  colonel  kept  a  nigge* 
down  there  at  the  gate  to  invite  in  every  traveler 


THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON    45 

who  passed.  But  all  that 's  changed,  and  has  been 
these  six  year." 

Mr.  Fontaine  nodded  over  his  tea. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  Evelyn's  death  was  a  great 
blow  to  her  father." 

"  You  may  well  say  that,  sir,"  assented  Murray, 
with  a  sigh.  "  He  was  never  the  same  man  after. 
He  used  to  sit  there  at  that  window  and  watch  her 
in  the  garden,  after  they  came  back  from  London, 
and  every  day  he  saw  her  whiter  and  thinner.  At 
night,  after  she  was  safe  abed,  I  have  seen  him 
walking  up  and  down  over  there  along  the  river, 
sobbing  like  a  baby.  And  when  she  died,  he  was 
like  a  man  dazed,  thinking,  perhaps,  it  was  he  who 
had  killed  her." 

"  I  know,"  nodded  Mr.  Fontaine.  "  I  was  here." 
There  was  a  moment's  silence.  I  was  bursting 
with  questions,  but  I  did  not  dare  to  speak. 

"  The  young  master  took  him  back  to  London 
after  that,"  went  on  Murray,  "  hoping  that  a 
change  would  do  him  good  and  take  his  mind  off 
Miss  Evelyn,  but  I  doubt  he  '11  ever  get  over  it. 
While  they  were  in  London,  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller 
painted  him  and  Miss  Evelyn.  Would  you  like  to 
see  the  pictures,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  should  like  to  see  them,"  said  Mr.  Fon 
taine  softly.  "  Evelyn  was  very  dear  to  me." 

They  were  hanging  side  by  side  in  the  great 
hall,  and  even  my  childish  eyes  saw  their  strength 
and  beauty.  His  was  a  narrow,  patrician  face, 
beautiful  as  a  woman's,  looking  from  a  wealth  of 
brown  curls,  soft  and  flowing.  The  little  pucker 


46  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

at  the  corners  of  his  mouth  bespoke  his  relish  of  a 
jest,  and  the  high  nose  and  well-placed  eyes  his 
courage  and  spirit.  But  it  was  at  the  other  I 
looked  the  longest.  She  was  seated  upon  a  grassy 
bank,  with  the  shadows  of  the  evening  gathering 
about  her.  In  the  branches  above  her  head 
gleamed  a  red-bird's  brilliant  plumage.  On  her 
lap  lay  a  heap  of  roses,  and  in  her  hand  she  held  a 
shepherd's  crook.  Her  gown,  of  pale  blue  satin, 
was  open  at  the  throat,  and  showed  its  fair  sweet 
fullness  and  the  bosom's  promise.  Her  face  was 
pensive,  —  sad,  almost, — the  lips  just  touching,  a 
soft  light  in  the  great  dark  eyes.  I  had  never 
seen  such  a  picture, — nor  have  I  ever  looked  upon 
another  such.  I  can  close  my  eyes  and  see  it  even 
now.  But  the  storm  had  passed,  and  it  was  time 
to  go. 

"  Why  did  Miss  Evelyn  die  ?  "  I  questioned,  as 
soon  as  we  were  out  of  the  avenue  of  tulips  and  in 
the  highway. 

He  looked  down  at  me  a  moment,  and  seemed 
hesitating  for  an  answer. 

"  She  loved  a  man  in  London,"  he  said.  "  Her 
father  would  not  let  her  marry  him,  and  brought 
her  home.  She  was  not  strong,  and  gossips  say 
her  heart  was  broken." 

"  But  why  would  he  not  let  her  marry  him  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  He  was  not  of  her  religion.  Her  father  thought 
he  was  acting  for  her  good." 

I  pondered  on  this  for  a  time  in  silence,  and 
found  here  a  question  too  great  for  my  small  brain. 


THE   ENDING   OF   THE   HONEYMOON        47 

"  But  was  he  right  ?  "  I  asked  at  last,  falling 
back  iipon  my  companion's  greater  knowledge. 

"  It  is  hard  to  say,"  he  answered  softly.  "  Per 
haps  he  was,  and  yet  I  have  come  to  think  there  is 
little  to  choose  between  one  sect  and  another,  so 
Christ  be  in  them  and  the  man  honest." 

He  looked  out  across  the  fields  with  tender  eyes 
and  I  slipped  my  hand  in  his.  A  vision  of  her  sad 
face  danced  before  me  and  I  fell  asleep,  my  head 
within  his  arm,  to  waken  only  when  he  lifted  me 
down  at  our  journey's  end. 

All  this  came  back  to  me  with  the  vividness 
which  childish  recollections  sometimes  have,  as  I 
sat  there  in  the  pew  at  my  mother's  side.  Only 
I  could  not  quite  believe  that  this  little  wrinkled 
old  man  was  the  same  who  looked  so  proudly  from 
Kneller's  canvas.  But  when  the  service  ended  and 
he  stopped  to  exchange  a  word  with  father,  I 
saw  the  face  was  indeed  the  same,  though  now 
writ  over  sadly  by  the  hand  of  time  weighted  down 
with  sorrow.  It  was  the  only  time  I  ever  saw  him 
in  the  flesh,  for  he  was  near  the  end  and  died 
soon  after.  He  was  buried  beside  his  daughter  in 
the  little  graveyard  near  his  home.  It  was  Mr. 
Fontaine  who  closed  his  eyes  in  hope  of  resurrec 
tion  and  spoke  the  last  words  above  his  grave,  — 
beloved  in  this  great  mansion  as  in  the  lowliest 
cabin  at  Charles  City. 

My  pen  would  fain  linger  over  the  portrait  of 
this  sainted  man,  which  is  the  fairest  and  most 
benign  in  the  whole  gallery  of  my  youth,  but  I 
must  turn  to  another  subject, —  to  the  cloud  which 


48  A  SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

began  to  shadow  my  life  at  my  tenth  year,  and 
which  still  shadows  it  to-day.  For  the  first  six  or 
seven  years  of  their  married  life  my  father  and 
mother  were,  I  believe,  wholly  and  unaffectedly 
happy.  When  I  think  of  them  now,  I  think  of 
them  only  as  they  were  during  that  time,  and 
wonder  how  many  of  the  married  people  about  me 
could  say  as  much.  Their  means  were  small,  and 
they  lived  a  quiet  life,  which  had  few  luxuries. 
But  as  time  went  on,  my  father  began  to  chafe  at 
the  petty  economies  which  the  smallness  of  their 
income  rendered  necessary.  He  had  been  bred 
amid  the  luxuries  of  a  great  estate,  where  the 
house  was  open  to  every  passer-by,  and  it  vexed 
him  that  he  could  not  now  show  the  same  wide 
hospitality.  I  think  he  yet  had  hopes  of  succeed 
ing  to  his  father's  estate,  out  of  which,  indeed, 
there  was  no  law  in  Virginia  to  keep  him  should 
he  choose  to  claim  it.  Whatever  his  thoughts 
may  have  been,  he  grew  gradually  to  live  beyond 
his  means,  and  as  the  years  passed,  he  had  recourse 
to  the  cards  and  dice  in  the  hope,  no  doubt,  of 
recouping  his  vanishing  fortune.  It  was  true 
then,  as  it  is  true  now  and  always  will  be  true,  that 
the  man  who  gambles  because  he  needs  the  money 
is  sure  to  lose,  and  affairs  went  from  bad  to  worse 
until  the  final  disaster  came. 

It  was  just  after  my  tenth  birthday.  My  mother 
and  I  were  sitting  together  on  the  broad  porch 
which  overlooked  the  river.  She  had  been  read 
ing  to  me  from  the  Bible, — the  parable  of  the 
talents,  —  in  which  and  in  the  kind  advice  of 


THE  ENDING  OF  THE  HONEYMOON   49 

Parson  Fontaine  she  found  her  only  comfort  in  the 
anxious  days  which  had  gone  before,  and  which  I 
knew  nothing  of.  But  the  lengthening  shadows 
finally  fell  across  the  page,  and  she  closed  the 
book  and  held  it  on  her  knee,  while  she  talked  to 
me  about  my  lessons  and  a  ramble  we  had  planned 
for  the  morrow.  The  red  of  the  sunset  still  lin 
gered  in  the  west,  and  a  single  crimson  cloud  hung 
poised  high  up  against  the  sky.  I  remember 
watching  it  as  it  turned  to  purple  and  then  to 
gray.  A  burst  of  singing  came  from  the  negro 
quarters  behind  the  house,  and  in  the  strip  of 
woodland  by  the  river  the  noises  of  the  night  began 
to  sound. 

As  the  twilight  deepened  to  darkness,  my 
mother's  voice  faltered  and  ceased,  and  when  I 
glanced  at  her,  I  saw  she  had  fallen  into  a  reverie, 
and  that  there  was  a  shadow  on  her  face.  I  have 
only  to  shut  my  eyes,  and  the  years  roll  back  and 
she  is  sitting  there  again  beside  me,  in  her  white 
gown,  simply  made,  and  gathered  at  the  waist 
with  a  broad  blue  ribbon,  her  slim  white  hands 
playing  with  the  book  upon  her  knee,  her  eyes 
gazing  afar  off  across  the  water,  her  mouth  droop 
ing  in  the  curve  which  it  had  never  known  till 
recently,  her  wealth  of  blue-black  hair  forming  a 
halo  round  her  head.  Ah,  that  she  were  there 
when  I  open  my  eyes  again,  that  I  might  speak 
to  her !  For  the  bitterest  thought  that  ever  came 
to  me  is  one  which  troubles  my  rest  from  time  to 
time  even  now :  Did  I  love  her  as  she  deserved ; 
was  I  a  staff  for  her  to  lean  upon  in  her  trouble  ; 


60  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

was  I  not,  rather,  a  careless,  unseeing  boy,  who 
recked  nothing  of  the  impending  storm  until  it 
burst  about  him  ?  I  trust  the  tears  which  have 
wet  my  pillow  since  have  gladdened  her  heart  in 
heaven. 

I  was  awakened  from  the  doze  into  which  I  had 
fallen  by  the  sound  of  rapid  hoof-beats  down  the 
road.  We  listened  to  them  in  silence,  as  they  drew 
near  and  nearer.  I  did  not  doubt  it  was  my  father, 
for  few  others  ever  rode  our  way.  He  had  been  from 
home  all  day,  as  he  frequently  was  of  late,  only  he 
did  not  usually  return  so  early  in  the  evening. 
Something  in  my  mother's  face  as  she  strained  her 
eyes  into  the  shadows  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
advancing  horseman  drew  me  from  my  chair  and 
to  her  side. 

"  It  is  your  father,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  almost 
inaudible,  and  as  she  spoke,  the  rider  leaped  from 
the  shadow  of  the  trees.  He  drew  his  horse  up 
before  the  porch  with  a  jerk  and  threw  himself 
from  the  saddle.  As  he  came  up  the  steps,  I  saw 
that  his  face  was  strangely  flushed  and  his  eyes 
gleaming  in  a  way  that  made  me  shiver.  I  felt 
my  mother's  arm  about  me  trembling  as  she  drew 
me  closer  to  her. 

"  Well,  it 's  over,"  he  said,  flinging  himself  down 
upon  the  upper  step,  "  and  damme  if  I  'm  sorry. 
Anything  's  better  than  living  here  in  the  woods 
like  a  lump  on  a  log." 

"  What  do  you  mean  is  over,  Tom  ?  "  asked  my 
mother  very  quietly. 

"I  mean  our  possession  of  this  place  is  over. 


THE  ENDING  OF  THE   HONEYMOON        51 

Since  an  hour  ago,  it  has  belonged  to  Squire 
Blakesley,  across  the  river." 

"  You  mean  you  have  gambled  it  away  ?  " 

"  If  you  choose  to  call  it  that,"  said  my  father 
ungraciously,  and  he  turned  his  back  to  us  and 
gazed  gloomily  out  over  the  water. 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence. 

"  Since  we  no  longer  possess  this  place,"  said  my 
mother  at  last,  "  I  suppose  you  intend  to  forget 
your  foolish  anger  against  your  father,  and  claim 
your  patrimony  ?  " 

"  Foolish  or  not,"  he  cried,  "  I  have  sworn  never 
to  take  it  until  it  is  offered  to  me,  and  I  mean  to 
keep  my  word  !  " 

"  You  would  make  your  boy  a  beggar  to  gratify 
a  foolish  whim !  "  retorted  my  mother,  her  voice 
trembling  with  passion.  I  had  never  seen  her  so, 
and  even  my  father  glanced  at  her  furtively  in 
some  astonishment.  "  Very  well.  In  that  it  is  for 
you  to  do  as  you  may  choose,  but  his  estate  here, 
or  what  is  left  of  it,  shall  be  kept  intact  for  him." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  cried  my  father,  and 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  slashed  his  boot  savagely 
with  his  riding-whip. 

"  I  mean,"  said  my  mother  very  quietly,  "  that 
since  a  gambling  debt  is  not  recoverable  by  law, 
we  have  only  to  live  on  quietly  here  and  no  one 
will  dare  disturb  us." 

"  And  my  honor  ?  "  cried  my  father  with  an  oath, 
the  first  I  had  ever  heard  him  use.  "  It  seems  to 
me  that  you  forget  my  honor,  madam." 

"  You  have  been  the  first  to  forget  your  honor, 


52  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

sir,"  said  my  mother,  rising  to  face  him,  but  still 
keeping  me  within  her  arm,  "  in  staking  your 
son's  inheritance  upon  a  throw  of  the  dice." 

My  father  started  as  though  he  had  been  struck 
across  the  face,  but  he  was  too  far  gone  in  anger 
to  listen  to  the  voice  of  reason.  Indeed,  I  have 
always  found  that  the  more  a  man  deserves  re 
buke,  the  less  likely  is  he  to  take  it  quietly. 

"  Come  here,  Tom,"  he  said  to  me,  and  when  I 
hesitated,  added  in  a  sterner  tone,  "  come  here, 
sir,  I  say." 

I  had  no  choice  but  to  go  to  him,  nor  did  my 
mother  seek  to  hold  me  back.  He  caught  me  by 
the  arms  and  bent  until  his  face  was  close  to  mine. 

"You  are  to  promise  me  two  things,  Tom,"  he 
said,  and  I  perceived  that  his  breath  was  heavy 
with  the  fumes  of  wine.  "  One  is  that  you  are 
never  to  claim  your  inheritance  of  JRiverview  until 
it  is  offered  to  you  freely  by  them  that  now  possess 
it.  Do  you  promise  me  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  faltered.     "  I  promise  you,  sir." 

"  Good  !  "  he  said.  "  And  the  other  is  that  you 
will  pay  my  debts  of  honor  after  I  am  dead,  if  they 
be  not  paid  before.  Promise  me  that  also,  Tom." 

His  eyes  were  on  mine,  and  I  could  do  nothing 
but  obey,  even  had  I  thought  of  resisting. 

"  I  promise  that  also,  sir,"  I  said. 

"  Very  well,"  and  he  retained  his  grasp  on  my 
arms  yet  a  moment.  "  Remember,  Tom,  that  a 
gentleman  never  breaks  his  word.  It  is  his  most 
priceless  possession,  the  thing  which  above  all 
others  makes  him  a  gentleman." 


THE   ENDING  OF  THE   HONEYMOON       53 

He  dropped  his  hands  and  turned  away  into  the 
house.  A  moment  later,  from  the  refuge  of  my 
mother's  arms,  I  heard  him  heavily  mounting  the 
stairs  to  his  room  on  the  floor  above.  My  mother 
said  never  a  word,  but  she  covered  my  face  with 
kisses,  and  I  felt  that  she  was  crying.  She  held 
me  for  a  time  upon  her  lap,  gazing  out  across  the 
river  as  before,  and  when  I  raised  my  hand  and 
caressed  her  cheek,  smiled  down  upon  me  sadly. 
She  kissed  me  again  as  she  put  me  to  bed,  and  the 
last  thing  I  saw  before  drifting  away  into  the  land 
of  dreams  was  her  sweet  face  bending  over  me. 
Had  I  known  that  it  was  the  last  time  I  was  to 
see  it  so,  —  the  last  time  those  tender  hands  were 
to  draw  the  covers  close  about  me,  —  I  should  not 
have  closed  my  eyes  in  such  content. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   SECRET   OF   A   HEART 

LATE  that  night  I  was  awakened  by  the  slam 
ming  of  doors  and  hurried  footsteps  in  the  hall 
and  up  and  down  the  stairs.  I  sat  up  in  bed,  and 
as  I  listened  intently,  heard  frightened  whispering 
without  my  door.  It  rose  and  died  away  and  rose 
again,  broken  by  stifled  sobbing,  and  I  knew  that 
some  great  disaster  had  befallen.  It  seemed,  some 
how,  natural  that  this  should  happen,  after  my 
father's  recent  conduct.  With  a  cold  fear  at  my 
heart,  I  threw  the  covers  back,  slid  from  the  bed, 
and  groped  my  way  across  the  room.  As  I  fumbled 
at  the  latch,  the  whispering  and  sobbing  came  sud 
denly  to  an  end,  as  though  those  without  had 
stopped  with  bated  breath.  At  last  I  got  the  door 
open,  and  looking  out,  saw  half  a  dozen  negro 
servants  grouped  upon  the  landing.  One  of  them 
held  a  lantern,  which  threw  slender  rays  of  light 
across  the  floor  and  queer  shadows  up  against 
their  faces.  They  stared  at  me  an  instant,  and 
then,  finding  their  breath  again,  burst  forth  in 
lamentation. 

"What  is  it?"  I  cried.  "What  has  hap 
pened  ?  " 

My  old  mammy  had  her  arms  around  me  and 


THE   SECRET  OF  A   HEART  55 

caught  me  up  to  her  face,  down  which  the  tears 
were  streaming. 

"  Oh,  Lawd,  keep  dis  chile !  "  she  sobbed,  look 
ing  down  at  me  with  infinite  tenderness.  "  Oh, 
Lawd,  bless  an'  keep  dis  chile  !  " 

"  But,  mammy,"  I  repeated  impatiently,  "  what 
has  happened?  " 

Her  trembling  lips  would  not  permit  her  answer 
ing,  but  she  pointed  to  the  door  of  my  father's 
room  and  her  tears  broke  forth  afresh. 

"  Is  my  mother  there  ?  "  I  asked. 

She  nodded. 

"  Then  I  will  go  to  her,"  I  said,,  and  I  had 
squirmed  out  of  her  arms  and  was  running  along 
the  passage  before  she  could  detain  me.  In  a 
moment  I  had  reached  the  door,  but  all  my  courage 
seemed  to  fail  me  in  face  of  the  mystery  within, 
and  the  knock  I  gave  was  a  very  feeble  and  timid 
one.  I  heard  a  quick  step  on  the  floor,  and  the 
door  opened  ever  so  little. 

"  Is  it  you,  doctor  ?  "  asked  my  mother's  voice. 

"No,  mother,  it  is  only  I,"  I  said. 

"  You !  "  she  cried,  in  a  terrible  voice,  and  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face  rigid  with  horror 
before  she  slammed  the  door.  The  sight  seemed 
to  freeze  me  there  on  the  threshold,  powerless  to 
move.  I  have  tried  —  ah,  how  often  !  —  to  put  be 
hind  me  the  memory  of  her  face  as  I  saw  it  then, 
but  it  is  before  me  now  and  again,  even  yet.  And 
I  began  to  cry,  for  it  was  the  first  time  my  mother 
had  ever  shut  me  from  her  presence. 

"  Are  you  there,  Tom  ?  "  I  heard  her  voice  ask  in 


56  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

a  moment.  Her  voice,  did  I  say  ?  Nay,  not  hers, 
but  a  voice  I  had  never  heard  before,  —  the  voice 
of  a  woman  suffocating  with  anguish. 

"  Yes,  mother,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  here." 

"  And  you  love  me,  do  you  not,  Tom  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  mother !  "  I  cried  ;  and  I  thank  God 
to  this  day  that  there  was  so  much  of  genuine  feel 
ing  in  my  voice. 

"  Then  if  you  love  me,  Tom,"  she  said,  "  you 
will  go  back  to  your  room  and  not  come  near  this 
door  again.  Promise  me,  Tom,  that  you  will  do 
as  I  ask  you." 

"  I  promise,  mother,"  I  answered.  "  But  what 
has  happened  ?  Is  father  dead  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Fontaine  will  be  here  soon,"  she  said, 
"  and  will  explain  it  all  to  you.  Now  run  back  to 
your  room,  dearest,  and  go  to  bed." 

"  Yes,  mother,"  I  said  again,  but  as  I  turned  to 
go,  I  heard  a  sound  which  struck  me  motionless. 
No,  my  father  was  not  dead,  for  that  was  his  voice 
I  heard,  pitched  far  above  its  usual  key. 

"  I  shall  never  go  back,"  he  cried.  "  I  shall 
never  go  back  till  he  asks  me." 

I  felt  the  perspiration  start  from  my  forehead. 

"  Have  you  gone,  Tom  ? "  asked  my  mother's 
voice. 

"  I  am  just  going,  mother,"  I  sobbed,  and  tore 
myself  away  from  the  door.  My  mammy's  arms 
were  about  me  again  as  I  turned,  and  carried  me 
back  to  my  room.  This  time  I  did  not  resist,  but 
as  she  sat  down,  still  holding  me,  I  laid  my  head 
upon  her  breast  and  sobbed  myself  to  sleep.  When 


THE  SECRET  OF  A  HEART  57 

I  awoke,  I  found  that  I  was  in  bed  with  the  covers 
tucked  close  around  me,  and  through  my  window 
I  could  see  the  gray  dawn  breaking.  I  lay  and 
watched  the  light  grow  along  the  horizon  and  up 
into  the  heavens.  And  while  I  lay  thus,  with  heart 
aching  dully,  the  door  of  my  room  opened  softly, 
and  with  joy  inexpressible  I  saw  that  it  was  my 
beloved  friend  who  entered. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Fontaine  !  "  I  cried,  and  stretched  out 
my  arms  to  him.  He  took  me  up  as  a  mother 
might,  and  held  me  close  against  his  heart. 

"  Do  you  remember,  dear,"  he  said,  and  his  voice 
was  trembling,  "  what  you  told  me  one  day  by  the 
river  —  that  you  meant  to  be  brave  under  trial  ?  " 

I  sobbed  assent. 

"  Well,  the  trial  has  come,  Tom,  and  I  want  you 
to  be  brave  and  strong.  You  are  not  going  to  dis 
appoint  me,  are  you  ?  " 

Oh,  it  was  hard,  and  I  was  only  a  child,  but  I 
sat  upright  on  his  knee  and  tried  to  dry  my  tears. 

"  I  will  try,"  I  said,  but  the  sobs  would  come  in 
spite  of  me. 

"  That  is  right,"  and  he  was  stroking  my  hair 
in  that  old  familiar,  tender  way.  "  Your  father  is 
very  ill,  Tom." 

Well,  if  that  was  all,  I  could  bear  it,  certainly. 

"  But  he  will  get  well,"  I  said. 

He  was  looking  far  out  at  the  purple  sky,  and 
his  face  seemed  old  and  gray. 

"  I  hope  and  pray  so,"  he  said  at  last.  "  He 
has  the  smallpox,  Tom.  There  are  some  cases 
along  the  river  near  Charles  City,  and  he  must 


58  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

have  caught  it  there.  Doctor  Brayle  has  done 
everything  for  him  that  can  be  done." 

But  I  was  not  listening.  There  was  room  for 
only  one  thought  in  my  brain. 

"  And  my  mother  is  with  him  !  "  I  cried,  and  my 
heart  seemed  bursting. 

He  held  me  tight  against  him,  and  I  felt  a  tear 
fall  upon  my  head.  This  was  the  trial,  then  —  for 
him  no  less  than  me. 

"Yes,  she  is  with  him,  Tom.  She  believes  it 
her  duty,  and  will  allow  no  one  else  to  enter.  Ah, 
she  has  not  been  found  wanting.  Dear  heart,  I 
knew  she  would  never  be." 

Of  what  came  after,  I  have  no  distinct  remem 
brance.  Mr.  Fontaine  told  me  that  my  mother 
wished  me  to  go  home  with  him,  so  that  I  might 
be  quite  beyond  reach  of  the  infection.  He  had 
agreed  that  this  would  be  the  wisest  course,  and  so, 
too  stricken  at  heart  to  resist,  I  was  bundled  into 
his  chaise  with  a  chest  of  my  clothes,  and  driven 
away  through  the  crowd  of  sobbing  negroes  to  the 
little  house  at  Charles  City  where  he  and  his  sister 
lived. 

The  week  that  followed  dwells  in  my  memory 
as  some  tremendous  nightmare,  lightened  here  and 
there  by  the  unvarying  kindness  of  my  friend  and 
of  his  sister.  I  wandered  along  the  river  and  gazed 
out  across  the  changing  water  for  hours  at  a  time, 
with  eyes  that  saw  nothing  of  what  was  before 
them.  Often  I  remained  thus  until  some  one  came 
for  me  and  led  me  gently  back  into  the  house.  My 
brain  seemed  numbed,  and  no  longer  capable  of 


THE   SECRET   OF  A   HEART  59 

thought.  Mr.  Fontaine  took  charge  of  our  affairs, 
doing  everything  that  could  be  done,  keeping  the 
frightened  negroes  to  their  work,  and  praying  with 
my  mother  through  the  tight-closed  door.  He  had 
no  fear,  and  would  have  entered  and  prayed  with 
her  beside  the  bed,  had  she  permitted. 

I  was  sitting  by  the  river-bank  one  evening, 
watching  the  shadows  lengthen  across  the  water, 
when  I  heard  a  step  behind  me,  and  turned  to  see 
my  friend  approaching.  A  glance  at  his  face 
brought  me  to  my  feet. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  cried,  and  ran  to  him. 

He  took  my  hands  in  his. 

"  Your  father  died  an  hour  ago,  Tom,"  he  said, 
and  smoothed  my  hair  in  the  familiar  way  which 
seemed  to  comfort  him  as  well  as  me. 

"  And  my  mother  ?  "  I  asked,  for  it  was  of  her 
I  was  thinking. 

"Your  mother  is  ill,  too,"  he  said,  and  placed 
his  arms  about  me  and  held  me  close,  "  but  with 
God's  grace  we  will  save  her  life." 

But  I  had  started  from  him. 

"  If  she  is  ill,"  I  cried,  "  I  must  go  to  her. 
She  will  want  me." 

He  shook  his  head,  still  holding  to  my  hands. 

"No,  she  does  not  want  you,  Tom,"  he  said. 
"  The  one  thing  that  will  make  her  happy  is  the 
thought  that  you  are  quite  removed  from  danger. 
I  believed  my  place  was  at  her  bedside,  but  she 
would  not  permit  it." 

And  then  he  told  me,  with  glistening  eyes,  that 
my  old  mammy,  who  had  been  my  mother's  thirty 


60  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

years  before,  was  nursing  her  and  would  not  be 
sent  away.  She  had  burst  in  the  door  of  the 
plague  chamber  the  moment  she  had  heard  that 
her  mistress  was  ill,  and  dared  any  one  disturb 
her.  Old  Doctor  Brayle  had  commanded  that 
she  be  given  her  will,  and  declared  that  in  this 
old  negro  woman's  careful  nursing  lay  my  mother's 
great  chance  of  life. 

The  scalding  tears  poured  down  my  cheeks  as 
Mr.  Fontaine  told  me  this,  —  the  first,  I  think, 
that  I  had  shed  that  week,  for  after  that  dreadful 
night,  my  sorrow  had  been  of  a  dry  and  bitter 
kind,  —  and  a  stinging  remorse  seized  me  as  I 
thought  of  the  times  I  had  been  cross  and  disobe 
dient  to  mammy.  Ah,  how  I  loved  her  now  !  It 
was  the  accustomed  irony  of  my  life  that  I  was 
never  to  tell  her  so. 

Ere  daylight  the  next  morning  I  was  seated 
beside  my  friend  as  he  drove  me  home.  The 
river  was  cloaked  in  mist,  and  the  dawn  seemed 
inexpressibly  dreary.  As  we  approached  the 
house,  I  wondered  to  see  how  forlorn  and  neg 
lected  it  appeared.  A  crowd  of  wailing  negroes 
surrounded  the  chaise  when  we  stopped,  and  I 
would  have  got  out,  but  Mr.  Fontaine  held  me 
firmly  in  my  seat. 

"  We  must  remain  here,"  he  said,  and  I 
dropped  back  beside  him,  and  waited  in  a  kind  of 
stupor. 

Presently  they  brought  the  coffin  down,  the 
negroes  who  carried  it  wreathing  themselves  in 
tobacco  smoke,  and  placed  it  in  a  cart.  We  f  ol- 


THE   SECRET  OF  A  HEART  Gl 

lowed  at  a  distance  as  it  rolled  slowly  toward  the 
Wyeth  burying-ground  in  the  grove  of  willows 
near  the  road.  The  thought  came  to  me  that  my 
father  should  lie  with  the  Stewarts,  not  with  the 
Wyeths,  and  then  suddenly  a  great  sickness  and 
faintness  came  upon  me,  and  I  remember  nothing 
of  what  followed  until  I  found  Miss  Fontaine 
lifting  me  from  the  chaise  at  the  door.  I  was  put 
to  bed,  and  not  until  the  next  day  was  I  able  to 
crawl  forth  again. 

Then  came  days  of  anguish  and  suspense,  days 
spent  by  me  roaming  the  woods,  or  lying  face 
downward  beneath  the  trees,  and  praying  that 
God  would  spare  my  mother's  life.  Bulletins 
were  brought  me  from  her  bedside,  —  she  was  bet 
ter,  she  was  worse,  she  was  better,  —  how  shall  I 
tell  the  rest  ?  —  until  at  last  one  day  came  my 
dear  friend,  his  lips  quivering,  the  tears  streaming 
down  his  face  unrestrained,  and  told  me  that  she 
was  dead.  I  think  the  sight  of  his  great  sorrow 
frightened  me,  and  I  bore  the  blow  with  greater 
composure  than  I  had  thought  possible.  Had  she 
sent  me  no  message?  Yes,  she  had  sent  me  a 
message,  —  her  last  thought  had  been  of  me.  She 
asked  me  to  be  a  good  boy  and  an  honest  man,  to 
follow  the  counsel  of  Mr.  Fontaine  in  all  things, 
and  to  keep  my  promise  to  my  father.  So,  even 
in  death  her  love  for  him  and  for  the  honor  of  his 
memory  triumphed,  as  I  would  have  had  it  do. 

Again  there  was  a  dismal  procession  through 
the  gray  morning  to  the  willow  grove,  where  we 
stood  beneath  the  dripping  branches,  while  afar 


62  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

off  the  rude  coffin  was  lowered  to  its  last  resting- 
place.  The  negroes  grouped  themselves  about,  and 
my  friend  stood  at  my  side,  his  head  bare,  his  face 
raised  to  heaven,  as  though  he  saw  her  there. 

"  '  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  saith  the 
Lord :  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and  whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die.' ' 

I  felt  the  threads  of  my  life  slipping  from  me 
one  by  one,  even  as  the  trees  faded  from  before 
my  eyes.  Only  that  strong,  exultant  voice  at  my 
side  went  on  and  on. 

"  '  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  be 
come  the  firstfruits  of  them  that  slept.'  "  On  and 
on  went  the  voice ;  there  was  nothing  else  in  the 
whole  wide  world  but  that  voice  crying  out  over 
my  mother's  grave.  " '  I  heard  a  voice  from 
heaven,  saying  unto  me,  Write,  From  henceforth 
blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord.'  "  And 
then  the  voice  faltered  and  broke.  "  She  was  the 
light  of  my  life  and  the  joy  of  my  heart,"  it  was 
no  longer  the  ritual  of  the  church ;  "  and  yet  had 
I  to  walk  beside  her  and  tell  her  naught.  And 
now  is  she  taken  from  me,  for  the  Lord  hath  re 
ceived  her  to  His  bosom  to  live  in  the  light  of  His 
love  forever  more." 

I  looked  up  into  his  face  and  saw  the  secret  of 
his  heart  revealed,  —  the  secret  he  had  kept  so 
well,  but  which  his  anguish  had  wrung  from  him. 
It  was  only  for  an  instant,  yet  I  think  he  knew  I 
had  read  his  heart  —  I,  alone  of  all  the  world, 
understood.  Had  my  mother  known,  I  wonder? 


THE   SECRET  OF  A   HEART  63 

Yes,  I  think  she  had,  and  in  the  greatness  of  his 
love  found  help  and  comfort.  Good  man  and 
lovely  woman,  God  rest  and  keep  you  both. 

I  went  home  with  him,  remembering  with  a 
pang  that  the  place  I  had  called  home  was  mine 
110  longer.  Those  among  my  friends  who  know 
the  history  of  my  boyhood  understand  to  some 
extent  my  loathing  for  the  cards  and  dice.  It  is 
perhaps  unreasonable,  —  I  might  be  the  first  to 
deem  it  so  in  any  other  man,  —  but  when  I  count 
up  the  woe  they  brought  my  mother,  —  father  and 
husband  slaves  to  the  same  frenzy,  —  how  they 
wrecked  her  life  and  embittered  it,  my  passion 
rises  in  my  throat  to  choke  me.  Never  did  I  hate 
them  more  than  in  the  days  which  followed  ;  for 
they  had  made  me  outcast,  and  what  the  future 
held  for  me,  I  could  not  guess.  The  question  was 
answered  of  a  sudden  a  week  later,  when  there 
came  from  my  grandfather  a  curt  note  bidding  me 
be  sent  to  Riverview.  It  was  decided  at  once  that 
I  must  go.  I  myself  looked  forward  to  the  change 
with  a  boy's  blind  longing  for  adventure,  and  said 
farewell  to  the  man  who  had  been  so  much  to  me 
with  a  willingness  I  wince  to  think  upon. 


CHAPTER  VI 

I   AM   TREATED   TO   A    SURPRISE 

THE  rain  was  falling  dismally  as  the  coach  in 
which  I  had  made  the  journey  rolled  up  the  drive 
to  Kiverview,  and  I  caught  but  a  glimpse  of  the 
house  as  I  was  rushed  up  the  steps  and  into  the 
wide  hall.  A  lady  dressed  in  a  loose  green  gown 
was  seated  in  an  easy-chair  before  the  open  fire, 
and  she  did  not  rise  as  I  entered,  doubtless  be 
cause  her  lap  was  full  of  knitting. 

"  Gracious,  how  wet  the  child  is !  "  she  cried, 
looking  me  over  critically.  "  Take  him  to  his 
room,  Sally,  and  see  that  he  has  a  bath  and 
change  of  clothing.  I  'm  sure  he  needs  both." 

I  turned  away  without  a  word  and  followed  the 
negro  maid.  Of  course  the  lady  thought  me  a 
surly  boor,  but  my  heart  was  burning,  for  I  had 
hoped  for  a  different  welcome.  As  I  passed  along 
the  hall  and  up  the  broad  staircase,  the  thought 
came  to  me  that  all  of  this  would  one  day  be 
mine,  should  I  choose  to  claim  it,  and  then,  with 
crimson  cheeks,  I  put  the  thought  from  me,  as 
unworthy  of  my  mother's  son. 

But  my  room  looked  very  warm  and  cheerful  even 
on  this  chilly  day,  and  from  the  window  I  could 
see  broad  fields  of  new-planted  tobacco,  and  beyond 


I   AM  TREATED   TO   A   SURPRISE  65 

them  the  yellow  road  and  then  the  river.  I  stood 
long  looking  out  at  it  and  wondering  what  my 
life  here  had  in  store.  Half  an  hour  later,  word 
came  from  my  grandfather  that  he  wished  to  see 
me,  and  the  same  maid  led  me  down  the  stairs  and 
to  his  study,  I  stumbling  along  beside  her  with  a 
madly  beating  heart.  As  I  crossed  the  lower  hall, 
I  heard  a  burst  of  childish  laughter,  and  saw  a  boy 
and  girl,  both  younger  than  myself,  playing  near 
the  chair  where  the  lady  sat.  I  looked  at  them 
with  interest,  but  the  sight  of  me  seemed  to  freeze 
the  laughter  on  their  faces,  and  they  gazed  with 
staring  eyes  until  I  turned  the  corner  and  was  out 
of  sight.  But  I  had  little  time  to  wonder  at  this 
astonishing  behavior,  for  in  a  moment  I  was  in 
my  grandfather's  office. 

He  was  seated  at  a  great  table,  and  had  appar 
ently  been  going  over  some  accounts,  for  the 
board  in  front  of  him  was  littered  with  books  and 
papers.  I  saw,  even  beneath  the  disguise  of  his 
red  face  and  white  hair,  his  strong  resemblance 
to  my  father,  and  my  heart  went  out  to  him  on 
the  instant.  For  I  had  loved  my  father,  despite 
the  wild  behavior  which  marred  his  later  days. 
Indeed,  I  always  think  of  him  during  that  time 
as  suffering  with  a  grievous  malady,  of  which  he 
could  not  rid  himself,  and  which  ate  his  heart  out 
all  the  faster  because  he  saw  how  great  was  the 
anguish  it  caused  the  woman  he  loved.  That 
it  was  some  such  disease  I  am  quite  certain,  so 
different  was  his  naturally  strong  and  sunny  dis 
position. 


66  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

My  grandfather  gazed  at  me  some  moments 
without  speaking,  as  I  stood  there,  longing  to 
throw  myself  into  his  arms,  and  all  the  misery  of 
the  years  that  followed  might  never  have  been, 
had  I  buried  my  pride  and  followed  the  dictates 
of  my  heart.  But  I  waited  for  him  to  speak,  and 
the  moment  passed. 

"  So  this  is  Tom's  boy,"  he  said  at  last.  "  My 
God,  how  like  he  is  !  " 

He  fell  silent  for  a  moment,  —  silenced,  no 
doubt,  by  bitter  memories. 

"You  wonder,  perhaps,"  he  said  in  a  sterner 
tone,  "  why  I  have  sent  for  you ;  but  I  could  do 
no  less.  The  letter  from  your  pastor  which  an 
nounced  the  deaths  of  your  father  and  your  mother 
brought  me  the  tidings  also  that  your  mother's 
fortune  had  been  diced  away  down  to  the  last 
penny,  and  that  even  the  negroes  must  be  sold  to 
satisfy  the  claims  against  it.  However  undutiful 
your  father  may  have  been,  I  could  not  permit  his 
son  to  become  a  charge  upon  the  poor  funds." 

I  felt  my  cheeks  flushing,  but  I  judged  it  best  to 
choke  back  the  words  which  trembled  on  my  lips. 

"  I  can  read  your  thought,"  said  my  grand 
father  quickly.  "  You  are  thinking  that  the  heir 
of  Eiverview  could  hardly  be  called  a  pauper.  Do 
not  forget  that  your  father  forfeited  his  claim  to 
the  estate  by  his  ungentlemanly  conduct." 

"I  shall  not  forget  it,"  I  burst  out.  "My 
father  made  sure  that  I  should  never  forget  it.  I 
shall  never  claim  the  estate.  And  my  father's 
conduct  was  never  ungentlemanly." 


I   AM  TREATED   TO  A  SURPRISE  67 

"  As  you  will,"  said  my  grandfather  scornfully. 
"  I  am  not  apt  at  mincing  words.  I  told  him  one 
thing  many  years  ago  which  I  should  have  thought 
he  would  remember,  and  which  I  now  repeat  to 
you.  I  told  him  that  a  gentleman  ceased  to  be 
a  gentleman  when  once  he  gambled  beyond  his 
means." 

I  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but  with  crimson 
cheeks  and  head  in  air,  I  turned  on  my  heel  and 
started  for  the  door. 

"  Damn  my  stars,  sir !  "  he  roared.  "  Wait  to 
hear  me  out." 

But  I  would  not  wait.  After  a  moment's 
struggle  with  the  latch,  I  had  the  door  open  and 
marched  straight  to  my  room.  Once  inside,  I 
bolted  the  door,  and  throwing  myself  on  the  floor, 
sobbed  myself  to  sleep. 

What  need  to  detail  further?  There  were  a 
hundred  such  scenes  between  us  in  the  four  years 
that  followed,  and  as  I  look  back  upon  them  now, 
I  realize  that  through  it  all  I,  too,  showed  my  full 
share  of  Stewart  obstinacy  and  temper.  I  more 
than  suspect  that  my  grandfather  in  his  most 
violent  outbursts  was  inwardly  trembling  with  ten 
derness  for  me,  as  was  I  for  him,  and  that  a  single 
gentle  word,  spoken  at  the  right  time,  would  have 
brought  us  into  each  other's  arms.  And  I  realize 
too  late  that  it  was  for  me,  and  not  for  him,  to 
speak  that  word.  It  was  only  when  I  saw  him 
lying  in  his  bed,  stricken  with  paralysis,  bereft  of 
the  power  of  speech  or  movement,  that  I  knew  how 
great  my  love  for  him  had  been.  His  eyes,  as 


68  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

they  met  mine  on  that  last  day,  had  in  them  infi 
nite  tenderness  and  pleading,  and  my  heart  melted 
as  I  bent  and  kissed  his  lips.  He  struggled  to 
speak,  and  the  sweat  broke  from  his  forehead  at 
the  effort,  but  what  he  would  have  said  I  can  only 
guess,  for  he  died  that  night,  without  the  iron 
bands  which  held  him  fast  loosening  for  an  in 
stant.  Yet  I  love  to  fancy  that  his  last  words, 
could  he  have  spoken  them,  would  have  been  words 
of  love  and  forgiveness,  for  my  father  as  well  as 
for  myself,  and  such,  I  am  sure,  they  would  have 
been.  With  him  there  passed  away  the  only  one 
at  Riverview  whom  I  had  grown  to  love. 

And  now  a  word  about  the  others  among  whom 
I  passed  the  second  period  of  my  boyhood.  My 
father's  younger  brother,  James,  had  married  seven 
or  eight  years  before  a  lady  whose  estate  adjoined 
Riverview,  —  Mrs.  Constance  Randolph,  a  widow 
some  years  older  than  himself.  She  had  one  child 
living,  a  daughter,  Dorothy,  who,  at  the  time  I 
came  to  Riverview,  was  a  girl  of  nine,  and  a  year 
after  her  second  marriage  she  bore  a  son,  who 
was  named  James,  much  against  the  wishes  of  his 
mother.  She  would  have  called  him  Thomas,  a 
name  which  had  for  five  generations  been  that  of 
the  head  of  the  house.  But  this  my  grandfather 
would  by  no  means  allow,  and  so  the  child  was 
christened  after  his  father.  I  think  that  ever  since 
the  day  she  had  entered  the  Stewart  family,  my 
aunt  had  thought  me  a  spectre  across  her  path,  for 
she  was  an  ambitious  woman  and  wished  the  whole 
estate  for  her  son,  —  in  which  I  do  not  greatly 


I  AM  TREATED  TO  A  SURPRISE  69 

blame  her.  But  she  had  brooded  over  her  fear 
until  it  had  become  a  phantom  which  haunted  her 
unceasingly,  and  she  had  come  to  deem  me  a  kind 
of  monster,  who  stood  between  her  boy  and  his  in 
heritance.  Her  second  husband  died  three  years 
after  their  marriage,  —  he  was  drowned  one  day  in 
January  while  crossing  the  river  on  the  ice,  which 
gave  way  under  him,  —  and  after  that  she  became 
the  mistress  of  Riverview  in  earnest,  ruling  my 
grandfather  with  a  rod  of  iron,  for  though  bold 
enough  with  men,  and  especially  with  the  men  of 
his  own  family,  he  would  succumb  in  a  moment  to 
a  woman's  shrewish  temper. 

Only  twice  had  he  revolted  against  her  rule. 
The  first  time  was  when  she  had  announced  her 
intention  of  naming  her  boy  Thomas,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned.  The  second  was  when  he  de 
cided  to  summon  me  to  Riverview.  This  she  had 
opposed  with  all  her  might,  but  he  had  persisted, 
and  finally  ended  the  argument  by  putting  her  from 
the  room,  —  doubtless  with  great  inward  trepida 
tion.  So  I  came  to  be  a  phantom  in  the  flesh,  and 
do  not  wonder  that  she  hated  me,  so  sour  will  the 
human  heart  become  which  broods  forever  on  its 
selfishness.  Her  children  she  kept  from  me  as 
from  the  plague,  and  during  the  years  preceding 
my  grandfather's  death,  I  had  almost  no  com 
munication  with  them.  He  required,  however, 
that  every  respect  be  shown  me,  placed  me  on  his 
right  at  table,  — how  often  have  I  looked  up  from 
my  plate  to  find  his  eyes  upon  me,  —  selected 
half  a  dozen  negroes  to  be  my  especial  servants, 


70  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

engaged  the  Rev.  James  Scott,  pastor  of  the 
Quantico  church,  as  my  tutor,  and  even  ordered 
for  me  an  elaborate  wardrobe  from  his  factor  in 
London. 

Mr.  Scott  was  a  man  of  parts,  and  under  him 
I  gained  some  knowledge  of  Latin,  Greek,  and 
mathematics.  Certainly  I  made  more  progress 
than  I  should  have  done  under  different  circum 
stances,  for  finding  myself  without  companions  or 
other  occupation,  I  applied  myself  to  my  books  for 
want  of  something  better.  My  grandfather  pos 
sessed  above  a  hundred  volumes,  and  when  he  saw 
how  my  bent  lay,  he  ordered  others  for  me,  so  that 
his  library  came  to  be  one  of  the  largest  on  the 
Northern  Neck,  though  but  indifferently  selected. 
Absorbed  in  these  books,  I  managed  to  forget  the 
disorder  of  my  circumstances. 

The  remainder  of  my  time  I  spent  in  riding 
along  the  river  road  on  the  mare  my  grandfather 
had  given  me,  or  wandering  over  the  estate  and  in 
and  out  among  the  negro  cabins.  To  the  negroes 
I  was  always  "  Mas'  Tom,"  and  I  am  proud  to 
remember  that  I  made  many  friends  among  them, 
treating  them  always  with  justice  and  sometimes 
with  mercy,  as,  indeed,  I  try  yet  to  do.  Once  I 
came  suddenly  upon  old  Gump,  the  major-domo  of 
the  house  servants,  preparing  to  give  a  little  picka 
ninny  a  thrashing,  and  I  stopped  to  ask  what  he 
had  done. 

"  He 's  done  been  stealin',  Mas'  Tom,"  answered 
Gump.  "  Ain'  goin'  t'  hab  no  t'iefs  roun'  dis  yere 
house,  not  if  I  knows  it." 


I  AM   TREATED   TO   A  SURPRISE  71 

,    "  What  did  he  steal,  uncle  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Dis  yere  whip,"  said  Gump,  and  he  held  up 
an  old  riding-whip  of  mine. 

I  looked  at  it  and  hesitated  for  a  moment.  Was 
it  worth  beating  a  child  for?  The  little  beady  eyes 
were  gazing  at  me  in  an  agony  of  supplication. 

"  Gump,"  I  said,  "  don't  beat  him.  That 's  all 
right.  I  want  him  to  have  the  whip." 

Gump  stared  at  me  in  astonishment. 

"What,  Mas'  Tom,"  he  exclaimed,  "you  mean 
dat  you  gib  him  de  whip  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  give  him  the  whip,  Gump," 
and  luckily  the  old  man  could  not  distinguish 
between  the  past  and  present  tenses  of  the  verb, 
so  that  I  was  spared  a  lie.  The  little  thief  ran 
away  with  the  whip  in  his  hand,  and  it  was  long 
before  the  incident  was  recalled  to  me. 

So  I  returned  again  to  my  books,  and  to  the 
silent  but  no  less  active  antagonism  toward  my 
aunt.  Yet,  I  would  not  paint  her  treatment  of  me 
in  too  gloomy  colors.  Doubtless  I  gave  her  much 
just  cause  for  offense,  for  I  had  grown  into  a  surly 
and  quick-tempered  boy,  with  raw  places  ever  open 
to  her  touch.  That  she  loved  her  children  I  know 
well,  and  her  love  for  them  was  at  the  bottom  of 
her  dislike  for  me.  I  have  learned  long  since  that 
there  is  no  heart  wholly  bad  and  selfish. 

While  my  grandfather  yet  lived,  I  think  she 
had  some  hope  that  something  would  happen  to 
make  me  an  outcast  utterly,  but  after  his  death 
this  hope  vanished,  and  she  sent  for  me  one  morn 
ing  to  come  to  her.  I  found  her  seated  in  the 


72  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

selfsame  chair  in  which  I  had  first  seen  him,  and 
the  table  was  still  littered  with  papers  and  ac 
counts. 

"  Good-morning,  Thomas,"  she  said  politely 
enough,  as  I  entered,  and,  as  I  returned  her  greet 
ing,  motioned  me  to  a  chair.  She  seemed  to  hesi 
tate  at  a  beginning,  and  in  the  moment  of  silence 
that  followed,  I  saw  that  her  face  was  growing 
thinner,  and  that  her  hair  was  streaked  with  gray. 

"  I  have  sent  for  you,  Thomas,"  she  said  at  last, 
"  to  find  out  what  your  intention  is  with  regard  to 
this  estate.  You  know,  of  course,  that  your  father 
forfeited  it  voluntarily,  and  that  you  have  no  moral 
claim  to  it.  Still,  the  law  might  sustain  your  claim, 
should  you  choose  to  assert  it." 

"  I  shall  not  choose  to  assert  it,"  I  answered 
coldly,  and  as  I  spoke,  her  face  was  suffused  with 
sudden  joy.  "  I  promised  my  father  never  to 
claim  it, — never  to  take  it  unless  it  were  offered  to 
me  openly  and  freely,  —  and  I  intend  to  keep  my 
promise." 

For  a  moment  her  emotion  prevented  her  reply 
ing,  and  she  pressed  one  hand  against  her  breast 
as  though  to  still  the  beating  of  her  heart. 

"  Very  well,"  she  said  at  last.  "  Your  resolu 
tion  does  credit  to  your  honor,  and  I  will  see  that 
you  do  not  regret  it.  I  will  undertake  the  manage 
ment  of  both  estates  until  my  son  becomes  of  age. 
You  shall  have  an  ample  allowance.  Let  me  see ; 
how  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  fifteen  years  old,"  I  answered. 

"  And  have  about  sounded  the  depths  of  Master 


I  AM  TREATED  TO  A  SURPRISE  73 

Scott's  learning,  I  suppose  ?  "  she  asked,  smiling, 
the  first  smile,  I  think,  she  had  ever  given  me. 

"  He  was  saying  only  yesterday  that  I  should 
soon  have  to  seek  another  tutor." 

"  'T  is  as  I  thought.  Well,  what  say  you  to  a 
course  at  William  and  Mary  ?  " 

She  smiled  again  as  she  saw  how  my  cheeks 
flushed. 

"  I  should  like  it  above  all  things,"  I  answered 
earnestly,  and,  indeed,  I  had  often  thought  of  it 
with  longing,  so  lonely  was  my  life  at  Biverview. 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  she  said.  "  The  year  opens 
in  a  fortnight's  time,  and  you  must  be  there  at  the 
beginning." 

I  thanked  her  and  left  the  room,  and  ran  to  my 
tutor,  who  had  arrived  some  time  before,  to  ac 
quaint  him  with  my  good  fortune.  He  was  no  less 
pleased  than  I,  and  forthwith  wrote  me  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Thomas  Dawson,  president  of  the  college, 
commending  me  to  his  good  offices.  So,  in  due 
course,'  I  rode  away  from  Riverview,  not  regret 
ting  it,  nor,  I  dare  say,  regretted.  In  truth,  I  had 
no  reason  to  love  the  place,  nor  had  any  within  it 
reason  to  love  me. 

Of  my  life  at  college,  little  need  be  said.  In 
deed,  I  have  small  reason  to  be  proud  of  it,  for, 
reacting  against  earlier  years,  perhaps,  I  cultivated 
the  Apollo  room  at  the  Raleigh  rather  than  my 
books,  and  toasted  the  leaden  bust  of  Sir  Walter 
more  times  than  I  care  to  remember.  Yet  I  never 
forgot  that  I  was  a  gentleman,  thank  God  !  And 
previous  years  of  study  brought  me  through  with 


74  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

some  little  honor  despite  my  present  carelessness. 
I  had  a  liberal  allowance,  and  elected  to  spend  my 
vacations  at  Williamsburg  or  at  Norfolk,  or  coast 
ing  up  the  Chesapeake  as  far  as  Baltimore,  and 
did  not  once  return  to  Riverview,  where  I  knew  I 
should  get  cold  welcome.  In  fact,  I  was  left  to  do 
pretty  much  as  I  pleased,  my  aunt  being  greatly 
occupied  with  the  care  of  the  estate,  and  doubtless 
happy  to  be  rid  of  me  so  easily.  So  I  entered 
my  eighteenth  year,  and  the  time  of  my  graduation 
was  at  hand.  And  it  was  then  that  the  great  event 
happened  which  changed  my  whole  life  by  giving 
me  something  to  live  for. 

It  was  the  custom  for  the  first  class,  the  year  of 
its  graduation,  to  attend  the  second  of  the  grand 
assemblies  given  by  the  governor  while  the  House 
of  Burgesses  was  in  session,  and  we  had  been  look 
ing  forward  to  the  event  with  no  small  anticipa 
tion.  Many  of  us,  myself  among  the  number,  had 
ordered  suits  from  London  for  the  occasion,  and  I 
thought  that  I  looked  uncommon  well  as  I  arrayed 
myself  that  night  before  the  glass.  Such  is  the 
vanity  of  youth,  for  I  have  since  been  assured  many 
times  by  one  who  saw  me  that  I  was  a  very  ordi 
nary  looking  fellow.  Half  a  dozen  of  us,  the  better 
to  gather  courage,  went  down  Duke  of  Gloucester 
Street  arm  in  arm  toward  the  governor's  palace 
with  its  great  lanthorn  alight  to  honor  the  occasion, 
and  mounted  the  steps  together,  —  our  trifling  over 
our  toilets  had  made  us  late,  —  and  as  we  entered 
the  high  doorway,  did  our  best  to  look  as  though 
a  great  assembly  was  an  every-day  event  to  us.  A 


I  AM  TREATED  TO  A  SURPRISE  75 

moment  later,  I  saw  a  sight  which  took  my  breath 
away. 

It  was  only  a  girl  of  seventeen  —  but  such  a  girl ! 
Can  I  describe  her  as  I  close  my  eyes  and  see  her 
again  before  me?  No,  I  cannot  trust  my  pen, 
nor  would  any  such  description  do  her  justice  ;  for 
her  charm  lay  not  in  beauty  only,  but  in  a  certain 
rare,  sweet  girlishness,  which  seemed  to  form  a 
nimbus  round  her.  Yet  was  her  beauty  worth 
remarking,  too  ;  and  I  have  loved  to  think  that, 
while  others  saw  that  only,  I,  looking  with  more 
perceptive  eyes,  saw  more  truly  to  her  heart.  I 
did  not  reason  all  this  out  at  the  first ;  I  only  stood 
and  stared  at  her  amazed,  until  some  one  knocking 
against  me  brought  me  to  my  senses.  There  were 
a  dozen  men  about  her,  and  one  of  these  I  saw  with 
delight  was  Dr.  Price,  our  registrar  at  the  college, 
a  benign  old  man,  who  could  deny  me  nothing.  I 
waited  with  scarce  concealed  impatience  until  he 
turned  away  from  the  group,  and  then  I  was  at  his 
side  in  an  instant. 

"  Dr.  Price,"  I  whispered  eagerly,  "  will  you  do 
me  the  favor  of  presenting  me  to  that  young 
lady  ?  " 

"  Why,  bless  my  soul !  "  he  exclaimed,  looking  at 
me  over  his  glasses  in  astonishment,  "  you  seem 
quite  excited.  Which  young  lady  ?  " 

"  The  one  you  have  just  left,"  I  answered  breath 
lessly. 

He  looked  at  me  quizzically  for  a  moment,  and 
laughed  to  himself  as  though  I  had  uttered  a  joke. 

"  Why,  certainly,"  he  said.    "  Come  with  me." 


76  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

I  could  have  kissed  his  hand  in  my  gratitude,  as  he 
turned  back  toward  the  group.  I  followed  a  pace 
behind,  and  felt  that  my  hands  were  trembling. 
The  group  opened  a  little  as  we  approached,  and  in 
a  moment  we  were  before  her. 

"  Miss  Randolph,"  said  Dr.  Price,  "  here  is  a 
young  gentleman  who  has  just  begged  of  me  the 
favor  of  an  introduction.  Permit  me  to  present 
Mr.  Thomas  Stewart." 

"  Why,  'pon  my  word,"  cried  that  young  lady, 
"  't  is  cousin  Tom  !  "  and  as  I  stood  gaping  at  her 
like  a  fool,  in  helpless  bewilderment,  she  came  to 
me  and  gave  me  her  hand  with  the  prettiest  grace 
in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  VII 

I   DECIDE   TO   BE  A   SOLDIER 

Now  who  would  have  thought  that  in  three  short 
years  the  red-cheeked  girl  whom  I  had  left  at 
Riverview,  and  of  whom  I  had  never  thought  twice, 
could  have  grown  into  this  brown-eyed  fairy  ?  Cer 
tainly  not  I,  and  my  hopeless  astonishment  must 
have  been  quite  apparent,  for  Mistress  Dorothy 
laughed  merrily  as  she  looked  at  me. 

"Come,  cousin,"  she  cried,  "you  look  as  though 
you  saw  a  ghost.  I  assure  you  I  am  not  a  ghost, 
but  very  substantial  flesh  and  blood." 

"  'T  was  not  of  a  ghost  I  was  thinking,"  I  said, 
recovering  my  wits  a  little  under  the  magic  of  her 
voice,  which  I  thought  the  sweetest  I  had  ever 
heard,  "but  of  the  three  Graces,  and  methought 
I  saw  a  fourth." 

She  gazed  at  me  a  moment  with  bright,  intent 
eyes,  the  faintest  touch  of  color  in  her  cheek. 
Then  she  smiled  —  a  smile  that  brought  two  tiny 
dimples  into  being  —  oh,  such  a  smile  !  But  there 
—  why  weary  you  with  telling  what  I  felt  ?  You 
have  all  felt  very  like  it  when  you  gazed  into  a 
certain  pair  of  eyes,  —  or  if  you  have  not,  you  will 
some  day,  —  and  if  you  never  do,  why,  God  pity 
you! 


78  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

She  laid  her  hand  on  my  arm  and  turned  to  the 
group  about  us.  "  Gentlemen,"  she  said,  with  a 
little  curtsy, "  I  know  you  will  excuse  us.  My  cousin 
Tom  and  I  have  not  seen  each  other  these  three 
years,  and  have  a  hundred  things  to  say  ; "  and  so 
I  walked  off  with  her,  my  head  in  the  air,  and  my 
heart  beating  madly,  the  proudest  man  in  the  col 
ony,  I  dare  say,  and  with  as  good  cause,  too,  as  any. 

Dorothy  led  the  way,  for  I  was  too  blinded  with 
joy  to  see  where  I  was  going,  and  with  a  directness 
which  showed  acquaintance  with  the  great  house, 
proceeded  to  a  corner  under  the  stair  which  had  a 
bit  of  tapestry  before  it  that  quite  shut  us  out  from 
interruption.  She  sat  down  opposite  me,  and  I 
pinched  my  arm  to  make  sure  I  was  not  dreaming. 

"  Why,  Tom,"  she  cried,  with  a  little  laugh,  as 
she  saw  me  wince  at  the  pain,  "  you  surely  do  not 
think  yourself  asleep  ?  " 

"  I  know  not  whether  't  is  dreaming  or  enchant 
ment,"  said  I ;  "  but  sleep  or  sorcery,  't  is  very 
pleasant  and  I  trust  will  never  end." 

"  What  is  it  that  you  think  enchantment, 
Tom  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  What  could  it  be  but  you  ?  "  I  retorted,  and  she 
smiled  the  slyest  little  smile  in  the  world.  "  I 
swear  that  when  I  entered  that  door  ten  minutes 
since,  I  was  wide  awake  as  any  man,  but  the  mo 
ment  I  clapt  eyes  on  you,  I  lost  all  sense  of  my 
surroundings,  and  have  since  trod  on  air." 

"  Oh,  what  do  you  think  it  can  be  ?  "  she  ques 
tioned,  pretending  to  look  mightily  concerned. 
"  Do  you  think  it  is  the  fever,  Tom  ?  " 


I  DECIDE   TO   BE  A   SOLDIER  79 

But  I  was  far  past  teasing. 

"  To  think  that  you  should  be  Dorothy  ! "  I 
said.  "  I  may  call  you  Dorothy,  may  I  not  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course  you  may  !  "  she  cried.  "  Are 
we  not  cousins,  Tom  ?  " 

What  a  thrill  it  gave  me  to  hear  her  call  me 
Tom  !  Of  course  we  were  not  cousins,  but  I  fancy 
all  the  tortures  of  the  Inquisition  could  not  at 
that  moment  have  made  me  deny  the  relation 
ship.  Well,  we  talked  and  talked.  Of  what  I 
said,  I  have  not  the  slightest  remembrance,  —  it 
was  all  foolish  enough,  no  doubt,  —  but  Dorothy 
told  me  how  her  mother  had  been  managing  the 
estate,  greatly  assisted  by  the  advice  of  a  Major 
Washington,  living  ten  miles  up  the  river  at  Mount 
Vernon  ;  how  her  brother  James  had  been  tutored 
by  my  old  preceptor,  but  showed  far  greater  liking 
for  his  horse  and  cocks  than  for  his  books ;  and  how 
Mr.  Washington  had  come  to  Biverview  a  month 
before  to  propose  that  Mistress  Dorothy  accompany 
him  and  his  mother  and  sister  to  Williamsburg, 
and  how  her  mother  had  consented,  and  the  flurry 
there  was  to  get  her  ready,  and  how  she  finally  was 
got  ready,  and  started,  and  reached  Williamsburg, 
and  had  been  with  the  Washingtons  for  a  week, 
and  had  attended  the  first  assembly,  which  ac 
counted  for  her  knowing  the  house  so  well,  and  had 
had  a  splendid  time. 

"  And  who  was  it  you  sat  with  here  last  time, 
Dorothy  ?  "  I  asked,  for  I  could  not  bear  that  she 
should  connect  this  place  with  any  one  but  me. 

"  Let  me  see,"  and  the  sly  minx  seemed  to  hesi- 


80  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

tate  in  the  effort  at  recollection.  "  Was  it  Mr. 
Burke  ?  No,  I  was  with  him  on  the  veranda.  Was 
it  Mr.  Forsythe  ?  No.  Ah,  I  have  it !  "  and  she 
paused  a  moment  to  prolong  my  agony.  "  It  was 
with  Betty  Washington  ;  she  had  something  to 
tell  me  which  must  be  told  at  once,  and  which  was 
very  private.  But  what  a  great  goose  you  are,  to 
be  sure.  Do  you  know,  Tom,  I  had  no  idea  that 
melancholy  boy  I  saw  sometimes  at  Riverview 
would  grow  into  such  a  —  such  a  "  — 

"  Such  a  what,  Dorothy  ?  "  I  asked,  as  she  hes 
itated. 

"  Such  a  big,  overgrown  fellow,  with  all  his  heart 
in  his  face.  What  a  monstrous  fine  suit  that  is 
you  have  on,  Tom !  " 

The  jade  was  laughing  at  me,  and  here  was  I, 
who  was  a  year  her  senior  and  twice  her  size,  sit 
ting  like  an  idiot,  red  to  the  ears.  In  faith,  the 
larger  a  man  is,  the  more  the  women  seem  tempted 
to  torment  him ;  but  on  me  she  presently  took 
pity,  and  as  the  fiddles  tuned  up  in  the  great  ball 
room,  she  led  the  way  thither  and  permitted  me  to 
tread  a  minuet  with  her.  Of  course  there  were  a 
score  of  others  eager  to  share  her  dances,  but  she 
was  more  kind  to  me  than  I  deserved,  and  in  par 
ticular,  when  the  fiddles  struck  up  "  High  Betty 
Martin,"  threw  herself  upon  my  arm  and  laughed 
up  into  my  face  in  the  sheer  joy  of  living.  But 
between  the  dances  I  had  great  opportunity  of  be 
ing  jealous,  and  spent  the  time  moping  in  a  corner, 
where,  as  I  reviewed  her  talk,  the  frequency  of  her 
mention  of  Mr.  Washington  occurred  to  me,  and 


I  DECIDE   TO   BE   A   SOLDIER  81 

at  the  end  of  five  minutes  I  had  conceived  a  des 
perate  jealousy  of  him. 

"  How  old  is  this  Mr.  Washington  ?  "  I  asked, 
when  I  had  managed  to  get  by  her  side  again. 

"  Not  yet  twenty-two,"  she  answered,  and  then 
as  she  saw  my  gloomy  face,  she  burst  into  a  peal 
of  laughter.  "  He  is  adorable,"  she  continued, 
when  she  had  regained  her  breath.  "  Not  hand 
some,  perhaps,  but  so  courtly,  so  dignified,  so  dis 
tinguished.  I  can't  imagine  why  he  is  not  here 
to-night,  for  he  is  very  fond  of  dancing.  Do  you 
know,  I  fancy  Governor  Dinwiddie  has  selected 
him  for  some  signal  service,  for  it  was  at  his  invi 
tation  that  Mr.  Washington  came  to  Williams- 
burg.  He  is  just  the  kind  of  man  one  would  fix 
upon  instinctively  to  do  anything  that  was  very 
dangerous  or  very  difficult." 

"  I  dare  say,"  I  muttered,  biting  my  lips  with 
vexation,  and  avoiding  Dorothy's  laughing  eyes. 
I  was  a  mere  puppy,  or  I  should  have  known  that 
a  woman  never  praises  openly  the  man  she  loves. 

"  I  am  sure  you  will  admire  him  when  you 
meet  him,"  she  continued,  "  as  I  am  determined 
you  shall  do  this  very  night.  He  is  a  neighbor, 
you  know,  and  I  '11  wager  that  when  you  come  to 
live  at  Riverview,  you  will  be  forever  riding  over 
to  Mount  Vernon." 

"  Oh,  doubtless !  "  I  said,  between  my  teeth,  and 
I  longed  to  have  Mr.  Washington  by  the  throat. 
"  How  comes  it  I  heard  nothing  of  him  when  I 
was  at  Riverview?  " 

"  'T  is  only  since  last  year  he  has  been  there," 


82  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

she  answered.  "  The  estate  belonged  to  his  elder 
brother,  Lawrence,  who  died  July  a  year  ago,  and 
Major  Washington  has  since  then  been  with  his 
mother,  helping  her  in  its  management.  Before 
that  time,  he  had  been  over  the  mountains  sur 
veying  all  that  western  country,  and  then  to  the 
West  Indies,  where  he  had  the  smallpox,  because 
he  would  not  break  a  promise  to  dine  with  a  family 
where  it  was.  But  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  seem 
quite  ill." 

"  It  is  nothing,"  I  said,  after  a  moment.  "  It 
was  the  smallpox  which  killed  my  father  and  my 
mother." 

"  Pardon  me,"  and  her  hand  was  on  mine  for 
an  instant.  Indeed,  the  shudder  which  always 
shook  me  whenever  I  heard  that  dread  infection 
mentioned  had  already  passed.  "  He  has  the  rank 
of  major,"  she  continued,  hoping  doubtless  to  dis 
tract  my  thoughts,  "  because  he  has  been  appointed 
adjutant-general  of  one  of  the  districts,  but  some 
how  we  rarely  call  him  major,  for  he  says  he  does 
not  want  the  title  until  he  has  done  something  to 
deserve  it." 

"  He  seems  a  very  extraordinary  man,"  I  said 
gloomily,  "  to  have  done  so  much  and  to  be  yet 
scarce  twenty-two." 

"  He  is  an  extraordinary  man,"  cried  Dorothy, 
"  as  you  will  say  when  you  meet  him.  A  word 
of  caution,  Tom,"  she  added,  seeing  my  desperate 
plight,  and  relenting  a  little.  "  Say  nothing  to 
him  of  the  tender  passion,  for  he  has  lately  been 
crossed  in  love,  and  is  very  sore  about  it.  A  cer- 


I  DECIDE  TO  BE  A  SOLDIER  83 

tain  Mistress  Gary,  to  whom  he  was  paying  court, 
hath  rejected  him,  and  wounded  him  as  much  in 
his  self-esteem  as  in  his  love,  which,  I  fancy,  was 
not  great,  but  which,  on  that  account,  he  is  anxious 
to  have  appear  even  greater,  as  is  the  way  with 
men." 

"  Trust  me,"  said  I,  with  a  great  lightening  of 
the  heart ;  "  I  shall  be  very  careful  not  to  wound 
him,  Dorothy." 

"  Pray,  why  dost  thou  smile  so,  Tom  ?  "  she 
asked,  her  eyes  agleam.  "  Is  it  that  there  is  a 
pair  of  bright  eyes  here  in  Williamsburg  which  you 
are  dying  to  talk  about?  Well,  I  will  be  your 
confidante." 

"  Oh,  Dorothy ! "  I  stammered,  but  my  tongue 
refused  to  utter  the  thought  which  was  in  my 
heart, — that  there  was  only  one  pair  of  eyes  in  the 
whole  world  I  cared  for,  and  that  I  was  looking 
into  them  at  this  very  moment. 

"  Ah,  you  blush,  you  stammer !  "  cried  my  tor 
mentor.  "  Come,  I  '11  wager  there 's  a  pretty 
maid.  Tell  me  her  name,  Tom." 

I  looked  at  her  and  gripped  my  hands  at  my 
side.  If  only  this  crowd  was  not  about  us  —  if 
only  we  were  alone  together  somewhere  —  I  would 
be  bold  enough. 

"  And  why  do  you  look  so  savage,  Tom  ?  "  she 
asked,  and  I  could  have  sworn  she  had  read  my 
thought.  "  You  are  not  angry  with  me  already  ! 
Why,  you  have  known  me  scarce  an  hour !  " 

I  could  endure  no  more,  and  I  reached  out 
after  her,  heedless  of  the  time  and  of  the  place. 


84  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

Doubtless  there  would  have  been  great  scandal 
among  the  stately  dames  who  surrounded  us,  but 
that  she  sprang  away  from  me  with  a  little  laugh 
and  ran  plump  into  a  man  who  had  been  hastening 
toward  her.  The  sight  of  her  in  the  arms  of  a 
stranger  brought  me  to  my  senses,  .and  I  stopped 
dead  where  I  was. 

"  'T  is  Mr.  Washington  !  "  she  cried,  looking  up 
into  his  face,  and  as  he  set  her  gently  on  her  feet, 
she  held  out  her  hand  to  him.  He  raised  it  to  his 
lips  with  a  courtly  grace  I  greatly  envied.  "  Mr. 
Washington,  this  is  my  cousin,  Thomas  Stewart." 

"  I  am  very  happy  to  meet  Mr.  Stewart,"  he 
said,  and  he  grasped  my  hand  with  a  heartiness 
which  warmed  my  heart.  I  had  to  look  up  to  meet 
his  eyes,  for  he  must  have  been  an  inch  or  two 
better  than  six  feet  in  height,  and  of  a  most  com 
manding  presence.  His  eyes  were  blue-gray,  pene 
trating,  and  overhung  by  a  heavy  brow,  his  face 
long  rather  than  broad,  with  high,  round  cheek 
bones  and  a  large  mouth,  which  could  smile  most 
agreeably,  or  —  as  I  was  afterward  to  learn  — 
close  in  a  firm,  straight  line  with  dogged  resolu 
tion.  At  this  moment  his  face  was  luminous  with 
joy,  and  he  was  plainly  laboring  under  some  in 
tense  emotion. 

"  Where  is  my  mother,  Dolly  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I 
have  news  for  her." 

"  She  is  in  the  reception  hall  with  the  governor's 
wife,"  she  answered.  "  But  may  we  not  have  your 
news,  Mr.  Washington?" 

He  paused  and  looked  back  at  her  a  moment. 


I  DECIDE  TO  BE  A  SOLDIER  85 

"  'T  is  all  settled,"  he  said,  "  and  I  am  to  start 
at  once." 

"  I  was  right,  then  !  "  she  cried,  her  eyes  spar 
kling  in  sympathy  with  his.  "  I  was  just  telling 
cousin  Tom  I  believed  the  governor  had  a  mission 
for  you." 

"  Well,  so  he  has,  and  I  got  my  papers  not  ten 
minutes  since.  You  could  never  guess  my  desti 
nation." 

"Boston?  New  York?  London?"  she  ques 
tioned,  but  he  shook  his  head  at  each,  smiling  ever 
more  broadly. 

"No,  'tis  none  of  those.     'Tis  Venango." 

"  Venango  ?  "  cried  Dorothy.  "  Where,  in  hea 
ven's  name,  may  that  be  ?  "  Nor  was  I  any  the 
less  at  a  loss. 

"  'T  is  a  French  outpost  in  the  Ohio  country," 
answered  Washington,  "  and  my  mission,  in  brief, 
is  to  warn  the  French  off  English  territory." 

Dorothy  gazed  at  him,  eyes  wide  with  amaze 
ment.  There  was  something  in  the  speaker's 
words  and  look  which  fired  my  blood. 

"  You  will  need  companions,  will  you  not,  Major 
Washington  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  smiled  in  comprehension,  as  he  met  my  eyes. 

"  Only  two  or  three,  Mr.  Stewart.  Two  or  three 
guides  and  a  few  Indians  will  be  all." 

My  disappointment  must  have  shown  in  my  face, 
for  he  gave  me  his  hand  again. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  offer,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he 
said  earnestly.  "  Believe  me,  if  it  were  possible, 
I  should  ask  no  better  companion.  But  do  not 


86  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

despair.  I  have  little  hope  the  French  will  heed 
the  warning,  and  't  will  then  be  a  question  of  arms. 
In  such  event,  there  will  be  great  need  of  brave 
and  loyal  men,  and  you  will  have  good  opportunity 
to  see  the  country  beyond  the  mountains.  But 
I  must  find  my  mother,  and  tell  her  of  my  great 
good  fortune." 

I  watched  him  as  he  strode  away,  and  I  fancy 
there  was  a  new  light  in  my  eyes,  —  certainly  there 
was  a  new  purpose  in  uiy  heart.  For  I  had  been 
often  sadly  puzzled  as  to  what  I  should  do  when  once 
I  was  out  of  college.  I  had  no  mind  to  become  an 
idler  at  Riverview,  but  was  determined  to  win  my 
self  a  place  in  the  world.  Yet  when  I  came  to  look 
about  me,  I  saw  small  prospect  of  success.  The  pro 
fessions  —  the  law,  medicine,  and  even  the  church 

—  were  overrun  with  vagabonds  who  had  brought 
them  so  low  that  no  gentleman  could  think  of  earn 
ing  a  livelihood  —  much  less  a  place  in  the  world 

—  by  them.    Trade  was  equally  out  of  the  question, 
for  there  was  little  trade  in  the  colony,  and  that 
in  the  hands  of  sharpers.     But  Mr.  Washington's 
words  had  opened  a  new  vista.    What  possibilities 
lay  in  the  profession  of  arms !    And  my  resolution 
was  taken  in  an  instant, — I  would  be  a  soldier.    I 
said  nothing  of  my  resolve  to  Dorothy,  fearing  that 
she  would  laugh  at  me,  as  she  doubtless  would  have 
done,  and  the  remainder  of  the  evening  passed  very 
quickly.     Dorothy  presented  me  to  Mrs.  Washing 
ton,  a  stately  and  beautiful   lady,  who  spoke  of 
her  son  with  evident  love  and  pride.    He  had  been 
called  away,  she  said,  for  he  had  much  to  do,  and 


I  DECIDE  TO  BE  A  SOLDIER  87 

thus  reminded,  I  remembered  that  it  was  time 
for  me  also  to  depart.  Before  I  went,  I  obtained 
permission  from  Mrs.  Washington  to  call  and 
see  her  next  day, —  Dorothy  standing  by  with  eyes 
demurely  downcast,  as  though  she  did  not  know 
it  was  she  and  she  only  whom  I  hoped  to  see. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  I  teased  you,  cousin  Tom," 
she  said  very  softly,  as  I  turned  to  her  to  say  good 
night.  "  Your  eagerness  to  go  with  Mr.  Wash 
ington  pleased  me  mightily.  It  is  just  what  I 
should  have  done  if  I  were  a  man.  Good-night," 
and  before  I  could  find  my  tongue,  she  was  again 
at  Mrs.  Washington's  side. 

I  made  my  way  back  to  my  room  at  the  college, 
and  went  to  bed,  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
night,  albeit  already  far  spent,  would  never  pass. 
Sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  and  I  tossed  from 
side  to  side,  thinking  now  of  Dorothy,  now  of  my 
new  friend  and  his  perilous  expedition  over  the 
Alleghanies,  now  of  my  late  resolve.  It  was  in  no 
wise  weakened  in  the  morning,  as  so  many  resolves 
of  youth  are  like  to  be,  and  so  soon  as  I  had 
dressed  and  breakfasted,  I  sought  out  the  best 
master  of  fence  in  the  place,  —  a  man  whose  skill 
had  won  him  much  renown,  and  who  for  three  or 
four  years  past,  finding  life  on  the  continent  grown 
very  unhealthy,  had  been  imparting  such  of  it  as 
he  could  to  the  Virginia  gentry,  —  and  insisted 
that  he  give  me  a  lesson  straightway. 

He  gave  me  a  half  hour's  practice,  for  the  most 
part  in  quarte  and  tierce, — my  A  B  C's,  as  it  were, 
—  and  the  ease  with  which  he  held  me  off  and 


88  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

bent  his  foil  against  my  breast  at  pleasure  chafed 
me  greatly,  and  showed  me  how  much  I  had  yet  to 
learn,  besides  making  me  somewhat  less  vain  of 
my  size  and  strength.  For  my  antagonist  was  but 
a  small  man,  and  yet  held  me  at  a  distance  with 
consummate  ease,  and  twisted  my  foil  from  my 
hand  with  a  mere  turn  of  his  wrist.  Still,  he  had 
the  grace  to  commend  me  when  the  bout  was  ended, 
and  I  at  once  arranged  to  take  two  lessons  daily 
while  I  remained  in  Williamsburg. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  I  turned  my  steps  to 
ward  the  house  where  the  Washingtons  were  stop 
ping,  and,  with  much  inward  trepidation,  walked 
up  to  the  door  and  knocked.  In  a  moment  I  was 
in  the  presence  of  the  ladies,  Mrs.  Washington 
receiving  me  very  kindly,  and  Dorothy  looking 
doubly  adorable  in  her  simple  morning  frock.  But 
I  was  ill  at  ease,  and  the  sound  of  voices  in  an 
adjoining  room  increased  my  restlessness. 

"  Do  you  not  see  what  it  is,  madam  ?  "  cried 
Dorothy,  at  last.  "  He  has  no  wish  for  the  society 
of  women  this  morning.  He  has  gone  mad  like 
the  rest  of  them.  He  is  dying  to  talk  of  war  and 
the  French  and  expeditions  over  the  mountains,  as 
Mr.  Washington  and  his  friends  are  doing.  Is  it 
not  so,  sir  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  cannot  deny  it,"  I  said,  with  a  very 
red  face.  "  I  am  immensely  interested  in  Major 
Washington's  expedition." 

Mrs.  Washington  smiled  kindly  and  bade  Dor 
othy  take  me  to  the  gentlemen,  which  she  did  with 
a  wicked  twinkle  in  her  eye  that  warned  me  I 


I   DECIDE   TO  BE  A  SOLDIER  89 

should  yet  pay  dear  for  my  effrontery.  Mr.  Wash 
ington  and  half  a  dozen  friends  were  seated  about 
the  room,  talking  through  clouds  of  tobacco  smoke 
of  the  coming  expedition.  There  were  George 
Fairfax,  and  Colonel  Nelson,  and  Judge  Pegram, 
and  three  or  four  other  gentlemen,  to  all  of  whom 
I  was  introduced.  The  host  waved  me  to  a  pile 
of  pipes  and  case  of  sweet-scented  on  the  table,  and 
I  was  soon  adding  my  quota  to  the  clouds  which 
enveloped  us,  and  listening  with  all  my  ears  to 
what  was  said. 

It  had  been  agreed  that  the  start  should  be  made 
at  once,  the  party  meeting  at  Will's  Creek,  where 
the  Ohio  company  had  a  station,  and  proceeding 
thence  to  Logstown,  and  so  on  to  Venango,  or,  if 
necessary,  to  the  fort  on  French  Creek.  How  my 
cheeks  burned  as  I  thought  of  that  journey  through 
the  wilderness  and  over  the  mountains,  and  how  I 
longed  to  be  of  the  party !  But  I  soon  saw  how 
impossible  this  was,  for  Mr.  Washington's  com 
panions  must  needs  be  hardened  men,  accustomed 
to  the  perils  of  the  forest  and  acquainted  with  the 
country.  A  bowl  of  punch  was  brought,  and  after 
discussing  this,  the  company  separated,  though  not 
till  all  of  them  had  wrung  Mr.  Washington's  hand 
and  wished  him  a  quick  journey.  I  was  going 
with  the  others,  when  he  detained  me. 

"  I  wish  a  word  with  you,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he 
said.  "  I  shall  have  to  leave  for  Mount  Vernon  at 
once,  and  make  the  trip  as  rapidly  as  possible,  in 
order  to  prepare  for  this  expedition.  May  I  ask 
if  it  would  be  possible  for  you  to  accompany  my 


90  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

mother  and  Miss  Dolly  home  when  their  visit  here 
is  ended,  which  will  be  in  about  a  week's  time  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered  warmly,  "  I  shall  be 
only  too  glad  to  be  of  service  to  you  and  to  them, 
Mr.  Washington,"  and  I  thought  with  tingling 
nerves  that  Dorothy  and  I  could  not  fail  to  be 
thrown  much  together. 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  that  afternoon  he  set 
out  for  Mount  Vernon,  whence  he  would  go  direct 
to  Will's  Creek.  His  mother  cried  a  little  after 
he  was  gone,  so  Dorothy  told  me,  but  she  was 
proud  of  her  boy,  as  she  had  good  cause  to  be,  and 
appeared  before  the  world  with  smiling  face.  The 
week  which  followed  flew  by  like  a  dream.  I  took 
my  lesson  with  the  foils  morning  and  evening,  and 
soon  began  to  make  some  progress  in  the  art.  As 
much  time  as  Dorothy  would  permit,  I  spent  with 
her,  and  in  one  of  our  talks  she  told  me  that  she 
had  drawn  from  her  mother  by  much  questioning 
the  story  of  my  father's  marriage  and  of  the  quar 
rel  which  followed. 

"  When  I  heard,"  she  concluded,  "  how  River- 
view  might  have  been  yours  but  for  that  unhappy 
dispute,"  —  so  Mrs.  Stewart  had  not  told  the  whole 
truth,  and  I  smiled  grimly  to  myself,  —  "I  saw 
how  unjustly  and  harshly  we  had  always  used  you, 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  be  very  good  to  you 
when  next  we  met,  as  some  slight  recompense." 

"  And  is  it  for  that  only  you  are  kind  to  me, 
Dorothy ? "  I  asked.  "Is  it  not  a  little  for  my 
own  sake  ?  " 

"Hoity-toity,"  she  cried,  "an  you  try  me  too 


I   DECIDE  TO   BE  A  SOLDIER  91 

far,  I  shall  withdraw  my  favor  altogether,  sir. 
My  cheeks  burn  still  when  I  think  what  might 
have  happened  at  the  ball  the  other  night,  when 
you  so  far  forgot  yourself  as  to  grab  at  me  like  a 
wild  Indian.  'T  was  well  I  had  my  wits  about 
me." 

"  But,  indeed,  Dorothy,"  I  protested,  "  't  was  all 
your  fault.  You  had  plagued  me  beyond  endur 
ance." 

"  I  fear  you  are  a  very  bold  young  man,"  she 
answered  pensively,  and  when  I  would  have  proved 
the  truth  of  her  assertion,  sent  me  packing. 

So  the  week  passed,  the  day  came  when  we  were 
to  leave  Williamsburg,  and  at  six  o'clock  one  cool 
October  morning,  the  great  coach  of  the  Washing- 
tons  rolled  westward  down  the  sandy  street,  the 
maples  casting  long  shadows  across  the  road.  And 
on  the  side  where  Mistress  Dorothy  sat,  I  was  rid 
ing  at  the  window. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A   RIDE   TO   WILLIAMSBURG 

I  WAS  received  civilly  enough  at  Rlverview,  and 
soon  determined  to  remain  there  until  Major  Wash 
ington  returned  from  the  west.  My  aunt  treated 
me  with  great  consideration,  doubtless  because  she 
feared  to  anger  me,  and  I  soon  fell  into  the  routine 
of  the  estate.  My  cousin  James,  a  roystering  boy 
of  fourteen,  was  not  yet  old  enough  to  be  covetous, 
and  he  and  I  were  soon  friends.  Dorothy  treated 
me  as  she  had  always  done,  with  a  hearty  sisterly 
affection,  which  gave  me  much  uneasiness,  'twas  so 
unlike  my  own,  and  I  was  at  some  pains  to  point 
out  to  her  that  we  were  not  cousins,  nor,  indeed, 
any  relation  whatsoever.  In  return  for  which  she 
merely  laughed  at  me. 

By  great  good  fortune,  I  found  among  the  over 
seers  on  my  aunt's  estate  a  man  who  had  been  a 
soldier  of  fortune  in  the  Old  World  until  some  esca 
pade  had  driven  him  to  seek  safety  in  the  colonies, 
and  with  my  aunt's  permission,  I  secured  him  to 
teach  me  what  he  knew  of  the  practice  of  arms,  a 
tutelage  which  he  entered  upon  with  fine  enthusi 
asm.  He  was  called  Captain  Paul  on  the  planta 
tion,  — *  a  little,  wiry  man,  with  fierce  mustaches 
and  flashing  eyes,  greatly  feared  by  the  negroes, 


A  RIDE   TO   WILLIAMSBURG  93 

though  he  always  treated  them  kindly  enough,  so 
far  as  I  could  see.  He  claimed  to  be  an  English 
man,  —  certainly  he  spoke  the  language  as  well  as 
any  I  ever  heard,  —  but  his  dark  eyes  and  swarthy 
skin  bespoke  the  Spaniard  or  Italian,  and  his  quick 
ness  with  the  foils  the  French.  A  strain  of  all 
these  bloods  I  think  he  must  have  had,  but  of  his 
family  he  would  tell  me  nothing,  nor  of  the  trouble 
which  had  brought  him  over-sea.  But  of  his  feats 
of  arms  he  loved  to  speak,  —  and  they  were  worth 
the  telling.  He  had  been  with  Plelo's  heroic  little 
band  of  Frenchmen  before  Dantzic,  where  a  hun 
dred  deeds  of  valor  were  performed  every  day,  and 
with  Broglie  before  Parma,  where  he  had  witnessed 
the  rout  of  the  Austrians.  For  hours  together  I 
made  him  recount  to  me  the  story  of  his  cam 
paigns,  and  when  he  grew  weary  of  talking  and  I 
of  listening,  we  had  a  round  with  the  rapier,  or  a 
bout  with  the  sword  on  horseback,  and  as  the 
weeks  passed,  I  found  I  was  gaining  some  small 
proficiency.  He  drilled  me,  too,  in  another  exer 
cise  which  he  thought  most  important,  that  of 
shooting  from  horseback  with  the  pistol. 

"  'T  is  an  accomplishment  which  has  saved  my 
life  a  score  of  times,"  he  would  say,  "  and  of  more 
value  in  a  charge  than  any  swordsmanship.  A 
man  must  be  a  swordsman  to  defend  his  honor, 
and  a  good  shot  with  the  pistol  to  defend  his  life. 
Accomplished  in  both,  he  is  armed  cap-a-pie  against 
the  world.  The  pistol  has  its  rules  as  well  as  the 
sword.  For  instance,  — 

"  '  When  you  charge  an  adversary,  always  com- 


94  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

pel  him  to  fire  first,  for  the  one  who  fires  first 
rarely  hits  his  mark. 

"  '  At  the  instant  you  see  him  about  to  fire,  make 
your  horse  rear.  This  will  throw  your  horse  be 
fore  you  as  a  shield,  and  if  the  aim  is  true,  't  will 
be  your  horse  that  is  hit  and  not  yourself.  The 
life  of  a  horse  is  valuable,  but  that  of  a  man  is 
more  so. 

"  '  If  your  horse  has  not  been  hit,  or  is  not  badly 
hurt,  you  have  your  adversary  at  your  mercy,  and 
can  either  kill  him  or  take  him  prisoner,  as  you 
may  choose.  If  he  be  well  mounted,  and  well  ac 
coutred,  it  is  usually  wisest  to  take  him  prisoner. 

"  '  If  your  horse  has  been  hit  mortally,  take  care 
that  in  falling  you  get  clear  of  him  by  holding 
your  leg  well  out  and  so  alighting  on  your  feet. 
You  can  easily  recover  in  time  to  pistol  your  adver 
sary  as  he  passes. 

"  '  Above  everything,  learn  to  aim  quickly,  with 
both  eyes  open,  the  arm  slightly  bent,  the  pistol 
uo  higher  than  the  breast.  When  the  arm  is  fully 
extended,  the  tension  causes  it  to  tremble  and  so 
destroys  the  aim,  and  the  man  who  cannot  hit  the 
mark  without  sighting  along  the  barrel  is  usually 
dead  before  he  can  pull  the  trigger.' ': 

These  and  many  other  things  he  told  me,  and 
that  I  threw  myself  with  eagerness  into  the  lessons 
I  need  hardly  say,  though  I  never  acquired  his 
proficiency  with  either  pistol  or  rapier.  For  I 
have  seen  him  bring  down  a  hawk  upon  the  wing, 
or  throwing  his  finger-ring  high  into  the  air,  pass 
his  rapier  neatly  through  it  as  it  shot  down  past 


95 

him.  Another  trick  of  his  do  I  remember,  —  une, 
deux,  trois,  and  a  turn  of  the  wrist  in  flanconade, 
—  which  seldom  failed  to  tear  my  sword  from  my 
hand,  so  quickly  and  irresistibly  did  he  perform  it. 
What  his  lot  has  been  I  do  not  know,  for  when  the 
king's  troops  came  to  Virginia,  he  was  seized  with 
a  strange  restlessness  and  resigned  from  my  aunt's 
service,  going  I  know  not  whither  ;  but  if  he  be 
alive,  there  is  a  place  at  my  board  and  a  corner  of 
my  chimney  for  him,  where  he  would  be  more  than 
welcome. 

In  the  mean  time,  not  a  word  had  been  received 
from  Major  Washington  —  we  called  him  major 
now,  deeming  that  he  had  well  earned  the  title 
—  since  he  had  plunged  into  the  wilderness  at 
Will's  Creek  in  mid-November,  accompanied  only 
by  Christopher  Gist  as  guide,  John  Davidson  and 
Jacob  Van  Braam  as  interpreters,  and  four  woods 
men,  Barnaby  Currin,  John  M'Quire,  Henry 
Steward,  and  William  Jenkins,  as  servants.  No 
vember  and  December  passed,  and  Christmas  was 
at  hand.  There  had  been  great  preparation  for 
it  at  Riverview,  for  we  of  Virginia  loved  the  holi 
day  the  more  because  the  Puritans  detested  it,  and 
all  the  smaller  gentry  of  the  county  was  gathered  at 
the  house,  where  there  were  feasting  and  dancing 
and  much  merry-making.  One  incident  of  it  do  I 
remember  most  distinctly,  —  that  having,  with  con 
summate  generalship,  cornered  Mistress  Dorothy 
under  a  sprig  of  mistletoe,  I  suddenly  found  myself 
utterly  bereft  of  the  courage  to  carry  the  matter 
to  a  conclusion,  and  allowed  her  to  escape  unkissed, 


96  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

for  which  she  laughed  at  me  most  unmercifully 
once  the  danger  was  passed,  though  she  had  feigned 
the  utmost  indignation  while  the  assault  threatened. 
So  the  holidays  went  and  New  Year's  came. 

It  was  the  thirteenth  of  January,  and  in  the  dusk 
of  the  evening  I  was  riding  back  to  the  house  as 
usual  after  my  bout  with  Captain  Paul,  when  I 
heard  far  up  the  road  behind  me  the  beat  of  horse's 
hoofs.  Instinctively  I  knew  it  was  Major  Wash 
ington,  and  I  drew  rein  and  watched  the  rider 
swinging  toward  me.  In  a  moment  he  was  at  my 
side,  and  we  exchanged  a  warm  handclasp  from 
saddle  to  saddle. 

"  I  am  on  my  way  to  Riverview,"  he  said,  as 
we  again  urged  our  horses  forward.  "  I  hope  to 
stay  there  the  night  and  start  at  daybreak  for 
Williamsburg  to  make  my  report  to  the  governor. 
Do  you  care  to  accompany  me,  Mr.  Stewart  ?  " 

"  Do  you  need  to  ask?"  I  cried.  "And  what 
was  the  outcome  of  your  mission,  sir?" 

"  There  will  be  war,"  he  said,  and  his  face 
darkened.  "  It  is  as  I  foresaw.  The  French  are 
impudent,  and  claim  the  land  belongs  to  them  and 
not  to  us." 

Neither  of  us  spoke  again,  but  I  confess  I  was 
far  from  sharing  the  gloom  of  my  companion. 
Had  I  not  determined  to  be  a  soldier,  and  how 
was  a  soldier  to  find  employment,  but  in  war  ?  I 
looked  at  him  narrowly  as  we  rode,  and  saw  that 
he  was  thinner  than  when  he  had  left  us,  and  that 
his  face  was  browned  by  much  exposure. 

Right  heartily  was  he  welcomed  to  Riverview, 


A  RIDE   TO   WILLIAMSBURG  97 

and  when  dinner  had  been  served  and  ended,  no 
thing  would  do  but  that  he  should  sit  down  among 
us  and  tell  us  the  story  of  his  mission.  He  could 
scarce  have  failed  to  draw  inspiration  from  such 
an  audience,  for  Dorothy's  eyes  were  sparkling, 
and  I  was  fairly  trembling  with  excitement. 
Would  that  I  could  tell  the  story  as  he  told  it,  but 
that  were  impossible. 

He  and  his  little  party  had  gone  from  Will's 
Creek  to  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  through  the  untrod 
den  wilderness  and  over  swollen  streams,  strug 
gling  on  over  the  threatening  mountains  and  fight 
ing  their  way  through  the  gloomy  and  unbroken 
forest,  and  thence  down  the  river  to  the  Indian 
village  of  Logstown.  There  he  had  parleyed  with 
the  Indians  for  near  a  week  before  he  could  per 
suade  the  Half  King  and  three  of  his  tribesmen  to 
accompany  him  as  guides.  Buffeted  by  unceasing 
storms,  they  toiled  011  to  Venango,  where  there  was 
an  English  trading-house,  which  the  French  had 
seized  and  converted  into  a  military  post.  Chabert 
de  Joncaire  commanded,  and  received  the  party 
most  civilly.  Major  Washington  was  banqueted 
that  evening  by  the  officers  of  the  post,  and  as  the 
wine  flowed  freely,  the  French  forgot  their  pru 
dence,  and  declared  unreservedly  that  they  intended 
keeping  possession  of  the  Ohio,  whether  the  Eng 
lish  liked  it  or  not.  Joncaire,  however,  asserted 
that  he  could  not  receive  Dinwiddie's  letter,  and 
referred  Major  Washington  to  his  superior  officer 
at  Fort  le  Bosuf.  So,  leaving  Venango,  for  four 
days  more  the  party  struggled  northward.  The 


98  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

narrow  traders'  path  had  been  quite  blotted  out, 
and  the  forest  was  piled  waist-deep  with  snow.  At 
last,  when  it  seemed  that  human  endurance  could 
win  no  further,  they  sighted  the  squared  chestnut 
walls  of  Fort  le  Boeuf. 

The  commander  here,  Legardeur  de  Saint-Pierre, 
also  received  them  well,  and  to  him  Major  Wash 
ington  delivered  his  letter  from  Governor  Dinwid- 
die,  asking  by  what  right  the  French  had  crossed  the 
Lakes  and  invaded  British  territory,  and  demand 
ing  their  immediate  withdrawal.  Saint-Pierre  was 
three  days  preparing  his  answer,  which  he  in 
trusted  to  Major  Washington,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  the  latter,  with  great  difficulty  persuad 
ing  his  Indians  to  accompany  him,  started  back  to 
Virginia.  They  reached  Venango  on  Christmas 
Day.  Here  their  horses  gave  out,  and  he  and 
Gist  pushed  forward  alone  on  foot,  leaving  the 
others  to  follow  as  best  they  might.  A  French 
Indian  fired  at  them  from  ambush,  but  missed  his 
mark,  and  to  escape  pursuit  by  his  tribesmen,  they 
walked  steadily  forward  for  a  day  and  a  night,  until 
they  reached  the  Allegheny.  They  tried  to  make 
the  crossing  on  a  raft,  but  were  caught  in  the 
drifting  ice  and  nearly  drowned  before  they  gained 
an  island  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  Here  they 
remained  all  night,  foodless  and  well-nigh  frozen, 
and  in  the  morning,  finding  the  ice  set,  crossed  in 
safety  to  the  shore.  Once  across,  they  reached  the 
house  of  a  man  named  Fraser,  on  the  Mononga- 
hela,  —  a  house  they  were  to  see  again,  but  under 
far  different  circumstances,  —  and  leaving  there  on 


A  RIDE   TO  WILLIAMSBURG  99 

the  first  day  of  January,  they  made  their  way 
back  to  the  settlements  without  adventure.  Major 
Washington  had  reached  Mount  Vernon  that 
afternoon,  and  after  stopping  to  see  his  mother, 
had  ridden  on  to  Riverview. 

Long  before  the  recital  ended,  I  was  out  of  my 
chair  and  pacing  up  and  down  the  room,  and  Doro 
thy  clapped  her  hands  with  joy  when  that  perilous 
passage  of  the  Allegheny  had  been  accomplished. 

"So  you  think  there  will  be  war?"  I  asked. 
"  But  you  do  not  know  what  M.  de  Saint-Pierre 
has  written  to  the  governor." 

"  I  can  guess,"  he  answered,  with  a  smile.  "  Yes, 
there  will  be  war." 

"  And  if  there  is  ?  "  I  cried,  all  my  eagerness  in 
my  face. 

"  And  if  there  is,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  said  calmly, 
but  with  a  deep  light  in  his  eyes,  "  depend  upon  it, 
you  shall  go  with  me." 

I  wrung  his  hand  madly.  I  could  have  em 
braced  him.  Dorothy  laughed  at  my  enthusiasm, 
but  with  a  trace  of  tears  in  her  eyes,  or  so  I  fan 
cied. 

Well,  we  were  finally  abed,  and  up  betimes  in 
the  morning.  Our  horses  were  brought  round  from 
the  stable,  and  our  bags  swung  up  behind  the  sad 
dles.  I  had  tried  in  vain,  all  the  morning,  to  cor 
ner  Dorothy  so  that  I  might  say  good-by  with  no 
one  looking  on,  but  the  minx  had  eluded  me,  and 
I  had  to  be  content  with  a  mere  handclasp  on  the 
steps  before  the  others.  But  as  we  rode  away  and 
I  looked  back  for  a  last  sight  of  her,  she  waved  her 


100  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

hands  to  me  and  blew  me  a  kiss  from  her  ringers. 
So  my  heart  was  warm  within  me  as  we  pushed  on 
through  the  dark  aisles  of  the  forest. 

The  roads  were  heavy  with  mud  and  melting 
snow,  for  the  weather  had  turned  warm,  and  it  was 
not  until  mid-afternoon  that  we  reached  Fredericks- 
burg.  We  stopped  there  an  hour  to  feed  and  wind 
our  horses,  and  then  pressed  on  to  the  country  seat 
of  Mr.  Philip  Clayton,  below  Port  Royal,  on  the 
Rappahannock.  Major  Washington  had  met  Mr. 
Clayton  at  Williamsburg,  and  he  welcomed  us 
most  kindly.  By  the  evening  of  the  second  day 
we  had  reached  King  William  Court  House,  where 
we  found  a  very  good  inn,  and  the  next  day,  just 
as  evening  came,  we  clattered  into  Williamsburg, 
very  tired  and  very  dirty.  But  without  drawing 
rein,  Major  Washington  rode  straight  to  the  gov 
ernor's  house,  threw  his  bridle  to  a  negro,  and 
ordered  a  footman  to  announce  him  at  once  to  his 
master. 

"  You  are  to  come  with  me,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he 
said,  seeing  that  I  hesitated.  "  '  T  will  be  a  good 
time  to  present  you  to  his  Excellency,"  and  we 
walked  together  up  the  wide  steps  which  led  to  the 
veranda. 

Even  as  we  reached  the  top,  the  door  at  the  end 
of  the  hall  was  thrown  violently  open,  and  Gov 
ernor  Dinwiddie  stumbled  toward  us,  his  face  red 
with  excitement.  He  had  evidently  just  risen 
from  table,  for  he  carried  a  napkin  in  his  hand, 
and  there  were  traces  of  food  on  his  expansive 
waistcoat,  for  he  was  anything  but  a  dainty  feeder. 


A   RIDE   TO  WILLIAMSBURG  101 

His  uncertain  gait  showed  that  he  still  suffered 
from  the  effects  of  a  recent  attack  of  paralysis. 

"  By  God,  Major  Washington,"  he  cried,  "  but 
I  'm  glad  to  see  you  !  I  'd  begun  to  think  the  French 
or  the  Indians  had  gobbled  you  up.  So  you  've 
got  back,  sir  ?  And  did  you  see  the  French?  " 

"  I  saw  the  French,  your  Excellency,"  answered 
Washington,  taking  his  outstretched  hand.  "  I 
delivered  your  message,  and  brought  one  in  reply. 
But  first  let  me  present  my  friend,  Mr.  Thomas 
Stewart,  who  is  a  neighbor  of  mine  at  Mount  Ver- 
non  and  a  man  of  spirit." 

"  Glad  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Stewart,"  said  Dinwid- 
die,  and  he  gave  me  his  hand  for  an  instant.  "  We 
may  have  need  erelong  of  men  of  spirit." 

"  I  trust  so,  certainly,  your  Excellency,"  I  cried, 
and  bowed  before  him. 

Dinwiddie  looked  at  me  for  an  instant  with  a 
smile. 

"  Come,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  you  have  been 
riding  all  day,  I  dare  say,  and  must  have  some 
refreshment,"  but  Washington  placed  a  hand  on 
his  arm  as  he  turned  to  give  an  order  to  one  of 
the  waiting  negroes. 

"Not  until  I  have  made  my  report,  Governor 
Dinwiddie,"  he  said. 

Dinwiddie  turned  back  to  him. 

"  You  're  a  man  after  my  own  heart,  Major 
Washington  !  "  he  cried.  "  Come  into  my  office, 
botli  of  you,  for,  in  truth,  I  am  dying  of  impatience 
to  hear  of  the  journey,"  and  he  led  the  way  into 
a  spacious  room,  where  there  was  a  great  table 


102  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

littered  with  papers,  a  dozen  chairs,  but  little  other 
furniture.  The  candles  were  brought,  and  Din- 
widdie  dropped  into  a  deep  chair,  motioning  Wash 
ington  and  myself  to  sit  down  opposite  him. 
"  Now,  major,"  he  cried,  "  let  us  have  your  story." 

So  Washington  told  again  of  the  trip  over  the 
mountains  and  through  the  forests,  Dinwiddie  in 
terrupting  from  time  to  time  with  an  exclamation 
of  wonder  or  approbation. 

"  Here  is  the  message  from  M.  de  Saint-Pierre," 
concluded  Washington,  drawing  a  sealed  packet 
from  an  inner  pocket.  " '  T  is  somewhat  stained 
by  water,  but  I  trust  still  legible." 

Dinwiddie  took  it  with  nervous  fingers,  glanced 
at  the  superscription,  tore  it  open,  and  ran  his  eyes 
rapidly  over  the  contents.  My  hands  were  trem 
bling,  for  I  realized  that  on  this  note  hung  the  issue 
of  war  or  peace  for  America.  He  read  it  through 
a  second  time  more  slowly,  then  folded  it  very 
calmly  and  laid  it  down  before  him  on  the  table. 
My  heart  sank  within  me,  —  it  was  peace,  then, 
and  there  would  be  no  employment  for  my  sword. 
I  had  been  wasting  my  time  with  Captain  Paul. 
But  when  Dinwiddie  raised  his  eyes,  I  saw  they 
were  agleam. 

"  M.  de  Saint-Pierre  writes,"  he  said,  "  that  he 
cannot  discuss  the  question  of  territory,  since  that 
is  quite  without  his  province,  but  will  send  my  mes 
sage  to  the  Marquis  Duquesne,  in  command  of  the 
French  armies  in  America,  at  Quebec,  and  will 
await  his  orders.  He  adds  that,  in  the  mean  time, 
he  will  i-emain  at  his  post,  as  his  general  has  com 
manded." 


A   RIDE  TO   WILLIAMSBURG  103 

We  were  all  upon  our  feet.  I  drew  a  deep 
breath,  and  saw  that  Washington's  hand  was  trem 
bling  on  his  sword-hilt. 

"  Since  he  will  not  leave  of  his  own  accord," 
cried  Dinwiddie,  his  calmness  slipping  from  him 
in  an  instant,  "  there  remains  only  one  thing  to  be 
done,  —  he  must  be  made  to  leave,  and  not  a  French 
uniform  must  be  left  in  the  Ohio  valley !  Major 
Washington,  I  offer  you  the  senior  majorship  of 
the  regiment  which  will  march  against  him." 

"  And  I  accept,  sir !  "  cried  Washington,  moved 
as  I  had  seldom  seen  him.  "  May  I  ask  your 
Excellency's  permission  to  appoint  Mr.  Stewart 
here  one  of  my  ensigns?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  governor  heartily.  "  From 
what  I  have  seen  of  Mr.  Stewart,  I  should  con 
clude  that  nothing  could  be  better ; "  and  when  I 
tried  to  stammer  my  thanks,  he  waved  his  hand 
to  me  kindly  and  rang  for  wine.  "  Let  us  drink," 
he  said,  as  he  filled  the  glasses,  "  to  the  success  of 
our  arms  and  the  establishment  of  his  Majesty's 
dominion  on  the  Ohio." 


CHAPTER  IX 

MY   FIRST  TASTE   OF   WARFARE 

WHATEVER  defects  Dinwiddie  may  have  had, 
indecision  was  certainly  not  one  of  them,  and  the 
very  next  day  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion  for 
the  advance  against  the  French.  Colonel  Joshua 
Fry  was  selected  to  head  the  expedition,  and  Colo 
nel  Washington  made  second  in  command.  Colonel 
Fry  at  one  time  taught  mathematics  at  William 
and  Mary,  but  found  the  routine  of  the  class-room 
too  humdrum,  and  so  sought  a  more  exciting 
life.  He  had  found  it  along  the  borders  of  the 
frontier,  and  in  1750  was  made  colonel  of  militia 
and  member  of  the  governor's  council.  Two  years 
later,  he  was  sent  to  Logstown  to  treat  with  the 
Indians,  and  made  a  map  of  the  colony.  He  knew 
the  frontier  as  well  as  any  white  man,  and  because 
of  this  was  chosen  our  commander. 

Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost,  for  Colonel  Wash 
ington,  while  at  Fort  le  Breuf,  had  observed  the 
great  preparations  made  by  the  French  to  descend 
the  Allegheny  in  the  spring  and  take  possession 
of  the  Ohio  valley,  but  we  hoped  to  forestall  them. 
The  triangle  between  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  was 
admirably  adapted  for  fortification,  and  it  was 
proposed  to  throw  up  a  fort  there  so  that  the 


MY   FIRST  TASTE  OF   WARFARE          105 

French  would  get  a  warm  reception  when  their 
canoes  came  floating  clown  the  river,  and  be  forced 
to  retreat  to  the  Lakes.  Dinwiddie's  energy  was 
wide-felt,  and  the  whole  colony  was  soon  astir. 

He  convened  the  House  of  Burgesses,  laid  Colo 
nel  Washington's  report  before  it,  and  secured  a 
grant  of  =£10,000  for  purposes  of  defense ;  he  urged 
the  governors  of  the  other  colonies,  from  the  Caro- 
linas  north  to  Jersey,  to  send  reinforcements  at 
once  to  Will's  Creek,  whence  the  start  was  to  be 
made  ;  he  sent  messengers  with  presents  to  the 
Ohio  Indians,  pressing  them  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  the  French,  and  authorized  the  enlistment 
of  three  hundred  men.  William  Trent,  an  Indian 
trader,  and  brother-in-law  of  Colonel  George  Cro- 
ghan,  was  commissioned  to  raise  a  company  of  a 
hundred  men  from  among  the  backwoodsmen  along 
the  frontier,  and  started  at  once  for  the  Ohio 
country  to  get  his  men  together  and  begin  work 
on  the  fort,  the  main  body  to  follow  so  soon  as  it 
could  be  properly  equipped. 

Long  before  this  I  had  secured  my  uniform  and 
accoutrements,  —  which  my  three  shillings  a  day 
were  far  from  paying  for,  —  and  was  kept  busy 
superintending  the  storage  of  wagons  or  drilling 
under  Captain  Adam  Stephen,  in  whose  company 
I  was,  at  Alexandria.  The  men  were  for  the  most 
part  poor  whites,  who  had  enlisted  because  they 
could  earn  their  bread  no  other  way,  and  promised 
to  make  but  indifferent  soldiers.  We  were  pro 
vided  with  ten  cannon,  all  four-pounders,  which  had 
been  presented  by  the  king  to  Virginia,  and  eighty 


106  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

barrels  of  powder,  together  with  small-arms,  thirty 
tents,  and  six  months'  provision  of  flour,  pork,  and 
beef.  These  were  forwarded  to  Will's  Creek  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  but  at  the  best  it  was  slow 
work,  and  April  was  in  sight  before  the  expedition 
was  ready  to  move.  During  near  all  of  this  time, 
Colonel  Washington  was  virtually  in  command,  for 
Colonel  Fry  was  taken  with  a  fever,  which  kept 
him  for  the  most  part  to  his  bed.  There  seemed 
no  prospect  of  his  improvement,  so  he  ordered  the 
expedition  to  advance  without  him,  he  to  follow  so 
soon  as  he  could  sit  a  horse.  That  time  was  never 
to  come,  for  he  died  at  Will's  Creek  on  the  last 
day  of  May. 

So  at  last  the  advance  commenced,  and  from 
daylight  to  sunset  we  fought  our  way  through  the 
forest.  It  rained  almost  incessantly,  and  I  admit 
the  work  was  more  severe  than  I  had  ever  done, 
for  the  bridle-paths  were  too  narrow  to  permit  the 
passage  of  the  guns  and  wagons,  and  a  way  had 
to  be  cut  for  them;  yet  all  the  men  were  in  good 
spirits,  animated  by  the  example  of  Colonel  Wash 
ington  and  the  other  officers.  Those  I  came  to 
know  best  were  of  Captain  Stephen's  company,  and 
a  braver,  merrier  set  of  men  it  has  never  been  my 
privilege  to  meet.  We  were  drawn  from  all  the 
quarters  of  the  globe.  There  was  Lieutenant  Wil 
liam  Poison,  a  Scot,  who  had  been  concerned  in 
the  rebellion  of  '45,  and  so  found  it  imperative 
to  come  to  Virginia  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days,  though  at  the  first  scent  of  battle  he  was  in 
arms  again.  There  was  Ensign  William,  Chev- 


MY   FIRST   TASTE   OF  WARFARE          107 

alier  de  Peyronie,  a  French  Protestant,  driven  from 
his  home  much  as  the  Fontaine  family,  and  who 
had  settled  in  Virginia.  There  was  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Waggoner,  whom  I  was  to  know  so  well 
a  year  later.  And  above  all,  there  was  Ensign 
Carolus  Gustavus  de  Spiltdorph,  a  quiet,  unassum 
ing  fellow,  but  brave  as  a  lion,  who  lies  to-day  in  an 
unmarked  grave  on  the  bank  of  the  Monongahela. 
I  can  see  him  yet,  with  his  blue  eyes  and  blond 
beard,  sitting  behind  a  cloud  of  smoke  in  one  corner 
of  the  tent,  listening  to  our  wild  talk  with  a  queer 
gleam  in  his  eyes,  and  putting  in  a  word  of  dry 
sarcasm  now  and  then.  For  when  the  day's  march 
was  done,  those  of  us  who  were  not  on  duty  gath 
ered  in  our  tent  and  talked  of  the  time  when  we 
should  meet  the  French.  And  Peyronie,  because, 
though  a  Frenchman,  he  had  suffered  most  at  their 
hands,  was  the  most  bloodthirsty  of  us  all. 

Then  the  first  blow  fell.  It  was  the  night  of  the 
twentieth  of  April,  and  our  force  had  halted  near 
Colonel  Cresap's  house,  sixteen  miles  from  Will's 
Creek.  I  was  in  charge  of  the  sentries  to  the  west 
of  the  camp.  The  weather  had  been  cold  and 
threatening,  with  a  dash  of  rain  now  and  then,  and 
we  had  made  only  five  miles  that  day,  the  guns 
and  wagons  miring  in  the  muddy  road,  which  for 
the  most  part  was  through  a  marsh.  As  evening 
came,  the  rain  had  set  in  steadily,  and  the  sentries 
protected  themselves  as  best  they  could  behind  the 
trees  or  under  hastily  constructed  shelters.  I  had 
just  made  my  first  round  and  found  all  well,  when 
I  heard  a  sentry  near  by  challenge  sharply. 


108  A  SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  cried,  hastening  to  him,  and 
then  I  saw  that  he  had  stopped  a  horseman.  The 
horse  was  breathing  in  short,  uncertain  gasps,  as 
though  near  winded. 

"  A  courier  from  the  Ohio,  so  he  says,  sir," 
answered  the  sentry. 

"  With  an  urgent  message  for  Colonel  Washing 
ton,"  added  the  man  on  horseback. 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  "  come  with  me,"  and  catch 
ing  the  horse  by  the  bridle,  I  started  toward  the 
commander's  tent,  in  which  a  light  was  still  burn 
ing.  A  word  to  the  sentry  before  it  brought 
Colonel  Washington  himself  to  the  door,  and  he 
signed  for  us  to  enter.  The  courier  slipped  from 
his  horse,  and  would  have  fallen,  had  I  not  caught 
him  and  placed  him  on  his  feet. 

"  'T  is  the  first  time  I  have  left  the  saddle  for 
two  days,"  he  gasped,  and  I  helped  him  into  the 
tent,  where  he  dropped  upon  a  stool.  Washington 
poured  out  a  glass  of  brandy  and  handed  it  to  him. 
He  swallowed  it  at  a  gulp,  and  it  gave  him  back  a 
little  of  his  strength. 

"  I  bring  bad  news,  Colonel  Washington,"  he 
said.  "  Lieutenant  Ward  and  his  whole  command 
were  captured  by  the  French  on  the  seventeenth, 
and  the  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  is  in  their 
hands." 

I  turned  cold  under  the  blow,  but  Washington 
did  not  move  a  muscle,  only  his  mouth  seemed  to 
tighten  at  the  corners. 

"  How  did  it  happen  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Captain  Trent  and  his  men  arrived  at  the  Ohio 


MY   FIRST  TASTE   OF  WARFARE          109 

on  the  tenth  of  April,"  said  the  courier,  "  and  we 
set  to  work  at  once  to  throw  up  the  fort.  We  made 
good  progress,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  seven 
teenth,  while  Captain  Trent  and  thirty  of  the  men 
were  absent,  leaving  Lieutenant  Ward  in  command, 
the  river  was  suddenly  covered  with  canoes  crowded 
with  French  and  Indians.  There  were  at  least 
eight  hundred  of  them,  and  they  had  a  dozen  pieces 
of  artillery.  We  had  no  choice  but  to  surrender." 

"  On  what  terms  ? "  questioned  Washington 
quickly. 

"  That  we  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war  and 
return  to  Virginia." 

"  And  this  was  done  ?  " 

"  Yes,  this  was  done.  Lieutenant  Ward  and  his 
men  will  join  you  in  a  day  or  two." 

"  You  have  done  well,"  said  Washington  warmly. 
"  I  am  sure  Lieutenant  Ward  could  have  done 
naught  else  under  the  circumstances.  Forty  men 
are  not  expected  to  resist  eight  hundred,  and  I 
shall  see  that  the  occurrence  is  properly  represented 
to  the  governor.  Lieutenant  Stewart,  will  you  see 
that  a  meal  and  a  good  bed  be  provided  ?  Good 
night,  gentlemen." 

We  saluted  and  left  the  tent,  and  I  led  him  over 
to  our  company  quarters,  where  the  best  we  had 
was  placed  before  him.  Other  officers,  who  had 
got  wind  of  his  arrival,  dropped  in,  and  he  told 
again  the  story  of  the  meeting  with  the  enemy.  It 
was  certain  that  there  were  from  six  to  eight  hun 
dred  French  and  a  great  number  of  Indians  before 
us,  while  we  were  barely  three  hundred,  and  as  I 


110  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

returned  to  my  post,  I  wondered  if  Colonel  Wash 
ington  would  dare  press  on  to  face  such  odds.  The 
answer  came  in  the  morning,  when  the  order  was 
given  to  march  as  usual.  Two  days  later,  we  had 
reached  Will's  Creek,  where  we  found  Lieutenant 
Ward  and  his  men  awaiting  us.  He  stated  that 
there  were  not  less  than  a  thousand  French  at  the 
forks  of  the  Ohio.  It  was  sheer  folly  to  advance 
with  our  petty  force  in  face  of  odds  so  overwhelm 
ing,  and  a  council  of  the  officers  was  called  by 
Colonel  Washington  to  determine  what  course  to 
follow.  It  was  decided  that  we  advance  as  far  as 
Red  Stone  Creek,  on  the  Monongahela,  thirty-seven 
miles  this  side  the  Forks,  and  there  erect  a  fortifi 
cation  and  await  fresh  orders.  Stores  had  already 
been  built  at  Red  Stone  for  our  munitions,  and 
from  there  our  great  guns  could  be  sent  by  water 
so  soon  as  we  were  ready  to  attack  the  French. 
In  conclusion,  it  was  judged  that  it  were  better 
to  occupy  our  men  in  cutting  a  road  through  the 
wilderness  than  that  they  should  be  allowed  to 
waste  their  time  in  idleness  and  dissipation. 

Captain  Trent  and  the  thirty  men  who  were  with 
him,  hearing  from  the  Indians  of  the  disaster 
which  had  overtaken  their  companions,  marched 
back  to  meet  us,  and  joined  us  the  next  day.  Trent 
himself  met  cold  welcome,  for  his  absence  from 
the  fort  at  the  time  of  the  attack  was  held  to  be 
most  culpable.  Dinwiddie  was  so  enraged,  when 
he  learned  of  it,  that  he  ordered  Trent  court-mar 
tialed  forthwith,  but  this  was  never  done.  His 
backwoodsmen  were  wild  and  reckless  fellows,  in- 


MY   FIRST  TASTE   OF   WARFARE          111 

capable  of  discipline,  and  soon  took  themselves  off 
to  the  settlements,  while  we  toiled  on  westward 
through  the  now  unbroken  forest.  Our  advance 
to  Will's  Creek  had  been  difficult  enough,  but  it 
was  nothing  to  the  task  which  now  confronted  us, 
for  the  country  grew  more  rough  and  broken,  and 
there  was  not  the  semblance  of  a  road.  We  were 
a  week  in  making  twenty  miles,  and  accomplished 
that  only  by  labor  well-nigh  superhuman. 

The  story  of  one  day  was  the  story  of  all  the 
others.  Obstacles  confronted  us  at  every  step,  but 
we  struggled  forward,  dragging  the  wagons  our 
selves  when  the  horses  gave  out,  as  they  soon  did, 
and  finally,  toward  the  end  of  May,  we  won  through 
to  a  pleasant  valley  named  Great  Meadows,  domi 
nated  by  a  mountain  called  Laurel  Hill.  Here 
there  was  abundant  forage,  and  as  the  horses  could 
go  no  further,  Colonel  Washington  ordered  a  halt, 
and  determined  to  await  the  promised  reinforce 
ments.  A  few  days  later,  a  company  of  regulars 
under  Captain  Mackay  joined  us,  together  with 
near  a  hundred  men  of  the  regiment  who  had  re 
mained  behind  with  Colonel  Fry,  raising  our  num 
bers  to  four  hundred  men,  though  many  were  wasted 
with  fever  and  dysentery. 

Those  of  us  who  were  able  set  to  work  throw 
ing  up  a  breastwork  of  logs,  under  the  direction  of 
Captain  Robert  Stobo,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days 
had  completed  an  inclosure  a  hundred  feet  square, 
with  a  rude  cabin  in  the  centre  to  hold  our  muni 
tions  and  supplies. 

There  had  been  many  alarms  that  the   French 


112  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

were  marching  against  us,  but  all  of  them  had 
proved  untrue,  so  when,  some  days  after,  the  report 
spread  through  the  camp  again  that  the  enemy  were 
near,  I  paid  little  heed  to  it,  and  went  to  sleep  as 
usual.  How  long  I  slept,  I  do  not  know,  but  I  was 
awakened  by  some  one  shaking  me  by  the  shoulder. 

"  Get  up  at  once,  lieutenant,  and  report  at  head 
quarters,"  said  a  voice  I  recognized  as  Waggoner's, 
and  as  I  sat  upright  with  a  jerk,  he  passed  on  to 
awake  another  sleeper.  I  was  out  of  bed  in  an  in 
stant,  and  threw  on  my  clothing  with  nervous  haste. 
I  could  hear  a  storm  raging,  and  when  I  stepped 
outside  the  tent,  I  was  almost  blinded  by  the  rain, 
driven  in  great  sheets  before  the  wind.  I  fought 
my  way  against  it  to  Washington's  tent,  where  I 
found  Captain  Stephen  and  some  thirty  men,  and 
others  coming  up  every  moment. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked  of  Waggoner,  who  had 
got  back  to  headquarters  before  me,  but  he  shook 
his  head  to  show  that  he  knew  no  more  than  I. 

A  moment  later,  the  flap  of  the  tent  was  raised, 
and  Colonel  Washington  appeared,  wrapped  in  his 
cloak  as  though  for  a  journey,  and  followed  by  an 
Indian,  who,  I  learned  afterwards,  was  none  other 
than  the  Half  King.  He  spoke  a  few  words  to 
Captain  Stephen,  and  the  order  was  given  to  form 
in  double  rank  and  march,  Colonel  Washington 
himself  leading  the  expedition,  which  numbered  all 
told  some  forty  men. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  midnight  march  through 
the  forest,  with  the  rain  falling  in  a  deluge  through 
the  dripping  trees,  the  lightning  flashing  and  the 


MY   FIRST  TASTE   OF   WARFARE          113 

thunder  rolling.  We  stumbled  along  upon  each 
other's  heels,  falling  over  logs  or  underbrush,  the 
wet  branches  switching  our  faces  raw  and  soaking 
us  through  and  through.  It  seemed  to  me  that  we 
must  have  covered  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  at  least, 
when  the  first  gray  of  the  morning  brightened  the 
horizon  and  a  halt  was  called,  but  really  we  had 
come  little  more  than  five.  Here  it  was  found  that 
seven  men  had  been  lost  upon  the  way,  and  that 
our  powder  was  so  wet  that  most  of  it  was  useless, 
to  many  of  us  the  charge  in  our  firelocks  being  all 
that  remained  serviceable.  After  an  hour's  halt, 
the  order  came  again  to  march,  with  caution  to 
move  warily.  Scouts  were  thrown  out  ahead,  and 
soon  came  back  with  tidings  that  the  enemy  was 
hard  by. 

My  hands  were  trembling  with  excitement  as  we 
crept  forward  to  the  edge  of  a  rocky  hollow,  and  as 
we  looked  down  the  slope,  we  could  see  the  French 
below.  There  were  thirty  of  them  or  more,  and 
they  were  getting  breakfast,  their  arms  stacked 
beside  them.  Almost  at  the  same  instant  their 
sentries  saw  us  and  gave  the  alarm. 

"  Follow  me,  men  !  "  cried  Washington,  and  he 
started  down  the  slope,  we  after  him.  As  we  went, 
the  French  sprang  to  arms  and  gave  us  a  volley, 
but  it  was  badly  aimed  in  their  excitement  and 
so  did  little  damage.  As  we  closed  in  on  them  we 
returned  their  fire,  and  some  eight  or  nine  fell, 
while  the  others,  thinking  doubtless  that  they  had 
been  surprised  by  a  large  force,  threw  down  their 
guns  and  held  up  their  hands  in  token  of  surrender. 


114  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

Captain  Stephen  had  been  slightly  wounded,  but 
charged  on  down  the  slope  ahead  of  us,  and  took 
prisoner  a  young  officer,  who  refused  to  surrender, 
but  kept  on  fighting  until  his  sword  was  knocked 
from  his  hand.  Then  he  began  to  tear  his  hair 
and  curse  in  French,  pointing  now  and  again  to 
another  officer  who  lay  among  the  dead.  He  grew 
so  violent  that  he  attracted  Colonel  Washington's 
attention. 

"  Come  here  a  moment,  Lieutenant  Peyronie," 
he  called.  "  You  understand  French.  What  is 
this  fellow  saying  ?  " 

Peyronie  exchanged  a  few  words  with  the  pris 
oner,  who  stooped,  drew  a  paper  frorn  the  inner 
pocket  of  the  dead  officer's  coat,  and  held  it  toward 
us.  Peyronie  took  it,  glanced  over  it  with  grave 
countenance,  and  turned  to  Colonel  Washington. 

"  This  man  is  Ensign  Marie  Drouillon,  sir,"  he 
said.  "  The  party  was  in  command  of  Ensign 
Coulon  de  Jumonville,  whom  you  see  lying  dead 
there.  M.  Drouillon  claims  that  the  party  did 
not  come  against  us  as  spies,  or  for  the  purpose  of 
fighting,  but  simply  to  bring  a  message  to  you 
from  M.  de  Contrecosur,  who  is  in  command  of 
the  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  which,  it  seems, 
has  been  named  Fort  Duquesne.  This  is  the  mes 
sage,"  and  he  held  out  the  paper  to  Washington. 

"  'T  is  in  French,"  said  the  latter,  glancing  over 
it.  "  What  does  it  say  ?  " 

"  It  warns  you  to  return  to  the  settlements," 
answered  Peyronie,  "on  the  pretext  that  all  the 
land  this  side  the  mountains  belongs  to  France." 


MY  FIRST  TASTE  OF  WARFARE          115 

Here  the  prisoner,  who  was  evidently  laboring 
under  great  excitement,  broke  in,  and  said  some 
thing  rapidly  in  a  loud  voice,  which  made  Pey- 
ronie  flush,  and  drew  nods  and  cries  of  approba 
tion  from  the  other  prisoners. 

"  What  does  he  say  ? "  asked  Washington, 
seeing  that  Peyronie  hesitated. 

"  He  says,  sir,"  answered  Peyronie,  with  evident 
reluctance,  "  that  M.  de  Jumonville  came  in  the 
character  of  an  ambassador  and  has  been  assas 
sinated." 

Washington  flushed  hotly  and  his  eyes  grew 
dark. 

"  Ask  M.  Drouillon,"  he  said,  "  why  an  ambas 
sador  thought  it  necessary  to  bring  with  him  a 
guard  of  thirty  men  ?  " 

Peyronie  put  the  question,  but  Drouillon  did 
not  reply. 

"  Ask  him  also,"  continued  Washington,  "  why 
he  remained  concealed  near  my  troops  for  three 
days,  instead  of  coming  directly  to  me  as  an  am 
bassador  should  have  done  ?  " 

Again  Peyronie  put  the  question,  and  again 
there  was  no  answer. 

"  Tell  him,"  said  Washington  sternly,  "  that  I 
see  through  his  trick,  —  that  I  comprehend  it 
thoroughly.  M.  Jnmonville  counted  on  using  his 
pretext  of  ambassador  to  spy  upon  my  camp,  and 
to  avert  an  attack  in  case  he  was  discovered. 
Well,  he  produced  his  message  too  late.  He  has 
behaved  as  an  enemy,  and  has  been  treated  as 
such.  That  he  is  dead  is  wholly  his  own  fault. 


116  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

Had  he  chosen  the  part  of  an  ambassador  instead 
of  that  of  a  spy,  this  would  not  have  happened." 

He  turned  away,  and  apparently  dismissed  the 
matter  from  his  mind,  but  that  it  troubled  him 
long  afterward  I  am  quite  certain,  though  in  the 
whole  affair  no  particle  of  blame  attached  to  him. 
The  French  made  a  great  outcry  about  it,  but  I 
have  never  heard  that  any  of  them  ever  answered 
the  questions  which  were  put  to  M.  Drouillon. 
The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  that  they  were  only  too 
eager  for  some  pretext  upon  which  to  base  the 
assertion  that  it  was  the  English  who  began  hos 
tilities,  and  this  flimsy  excuse  was  the  best  they 
could  invent.  But  that  little  brush  under  the 
trees  on  that  windy  May  morning  was  to  have 
momentous  consequences,  for  it  was  the  beginning 
of  the  struggle  which  drenched  the  continent  in 
blood. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    FRENCH    SCORE    FIRST 

WE  marched  back  to  the  camp  at  Great  Mead 
ows  with  our  prisoners,  —  some  twenty  in  all,  — 
much  elated  at  our  success,  but  near  dead  with 
fatigue.  Lieutenant  Spiltdorph  was  selected  to 
escort  them  to  Virginia,  and  set  off  with  them 
toward  noon,  together  with  twenty  men,  cursing 
the  ill-luck  which  deprived  him  of  the  opportunity 
to  make  the  remainder  of  the  campaign  with  us. 

For  that  the  French  would  march  against  us  in 
force  was  well-nigh  certain,  once  they  learned  of 
Jumonville's  defeat,  of  which  the  Indians  would 
soon  inform  them,  and  that  we  should  be  outnum 
bered  three  or  four  to  one  seemed  inevitable.  But 
no  one  thought  of  retreat,  our  commander,  I  am 
sure,  least  of  all.  He  seemed  everywhere  at  once, 
heartening  the  men,  inspecting  equipment,  over 
seeing  the  preparations  for  defense.  The  only 
hostile  element  in  the  camp  was  the  company  of 
regulars  under  Captain  Mackay,  who  refused  to 
assist  in  any  of  the  work,  asserting  that  they  were 
employed  only  to  fight.  Captain  Mackay,  too, 
holding  his  commission  from  the  king,  claimed  to 
outrank  Colonel  Washington,  and  yielded  him 
but  a  reluctant  and  sullen  obedience. 


118  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

Christopher  Gist,  who  had  just  come  from 
Will's  Creek  with  tidings  of  Colonel  Fry's  death, 
was  of  the  opinion  that  a  much  more  effective  re 
sistance  might  be  made  at  his  plantation,  twelve 
miles  further  on,  where  there  were  some  strong  log 
buildings  and  a  ground,  so  he  claimed,  admirably 
suited  for  intrenchment.  Accordingly,  we  set  out 
for  there,  arriving  after  a  fatiguing  journey.  The 
horses  were  in  worse  case  than  ever,  and  only  two 
miserable  teams  and  a  few  tottering  pack-horses 
remained  capable  of  working.  Finally,  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  June,  the  Half  King,  who  had 
been  our  faithful  friend  throughout,  brought  us 
word  that  seven  hundred  French  and  three  or  four 
hundred  Indians  had  marched  from  Fort  Duquesne 
against  us.  As  the  news  spread  through  the  camp, 
the  officers  left  the  intrenchments  upon  which  they 
had  been  at  work,  and  gathered  to  discuss  the 
news.  There  a  message  from  Colonel  Washington 
summoned  us  to  a  conference  at  Gist's  cabin. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  when  we  had  all  assem 
bled,  "  I  need  not  tell  you  that  the  situation  is 
most  critical.  We  can  scarce  hope  to  successfully 
oppose  an  enemy  who  outnumbers  us  three  to  one, 
and  yet  't  is  impossible  to  retreat  without  aban 
doning  all  our  baggage  and  munitions,  since  we 
have  no  means  of  transport." 

He  fell  silent  for  a  moment,  and  no  one  spoke. 
I  saw  that  the  worry  of  the  last  few  weeks  had 
left  its  mark  upon  him,  for  there  was  a  line  be 
tween  his  eyes  which  I  had  never  seen  before,  but 
which  never  left  him  afterward. 


THE  FRENCH  SCORE  FIRST  119 

"  What  I  propose,"  he  said  at  last,  "  is  to  fall 
back  to  Great  Meadows.  I  believe  it  to  be  better 
fitted  for  defense  than  this  place,  which  is  com 
manded  by  half  a  dozen  hills,  and  where  we 
could  not  hope  to  hold  out  against  artillery  fire. 
At  Great  Meadows  we  can  strengthen  our  in- 
trenchment  in  the  middle  of  the  plain,  and  the 
French  will  hardly  dare  attempt  to  carry  it  by  as 
sault,  since  they  must  advance  without  cover  for 
two  hundred  yards  or  more.  It  is  a  charming  field 
for  an  encounter.  Has  any  one  a  better  plan?  " 

Mackay  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  'T  is  better  to  lose  our  baggage  than  to  lose 
both  it  and  our  lives,"  he  said.  "  The  French  may 
not  care  to  risk  an  assault,  but  they  have  only  to 
sit  down  about  the  work  for  a  day  or  two  to  starve 
us  out." 

"  That  is  true,"  answered  Washington,  and  his 
face  was  very  grave ;  "  yet  reinforcements  cannot 
be  far  distant.  Two  independent  companies  from 
New  York  reached  Annapolis  a  fortnight  since, 
and  are  doubtless  being  hurried  forward.  Other 
companies  have  arrived  in  the  colony,  and  must  be 
near  at  hand.  Besides,"  he  added,  in  a  firmer 
tone,  "  I  cannot  consent  to  return  to  Virginia 
without  striking  at  least  one  blow  at  the  French, 
else  this  expedition  might  just  as  well  have  never 
been  begun." 

"  That  is  the  point !  "  cried  Stephen.  "  Let  us 
not  run  away  until  we  see  something  to  run  from. 
Your  plan  is  the  best  possible  under  the  circum 
stances,  Colonel  Washington." 


120  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

We  all  of  us  echoed  this  opinion,  and  after 
thanking  us  warmly,  our  commander  bade  us 
make  ready  at  once  for  the  return  to  Great  Mead 
ows.  The  baggage  was  done  into  packs  as  large 
as  a  man  could  carry ;  a  force  was  told  off  to  drag 
the  swivels ;  the  officers  added  their  horses  to  the 
train,  and  prepared  to  carry  packs  just  as  the  men 
did.  Colonel  Washington  left  half  of  his  per 
sonal  baggage  behind,  paying  some  soldiers  four 
pistoles  to  carry  the  remainder.  So  at  daybreak 
we  set  out,  the  sufferings  of  our  men  being  greatly 
aggravated  by  the  conduct  of  the  regulars,  who 
refused  to  carry  a  pound  of  baggage  or  place  a 
hand  upon  the  ropes  by  which  we  dragged  our 
guns  after  us. 

The  miseries  of  that  day  I  hope  never  to  see 
repeated.  Men  dropped  senseless  on  the  road,  or 
fell  beneath  the  trees,  unable  to  go  further.  The 
main  body  of  the  troops  struggled  on,  leaving 
these  stragglers  to  follow  when  they  could,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  next  day  we  reached  Great 
Meadows,  weak,  trembling,  and  exhausted.  But 
even  here  there  was  no  rest  for  us,  for  it  was 
necessary  to  strengthen  our  defenses  against  the 
attack  which  could  not  be  long  deferred.  The 
breastwork  seemed  all  too  weak  now  we  knew  the 
force  which  would  be  brought  against  it,  and  we 
started  to  dig  a  trench  around  it,  but  so  feeble 
were  the  men  that  it  was  only  half  completed. 
Even  at  the  best,  our  condition  was  little  short 
of  desperate.  Much  of  our  ammunition  had  been 
ruined,  and  our  supply  of  provisions  was  near 


THE   FRENCH   SCORE  FIRST  121 

gone.  We  had  been  without  bread  for  above  a 
•week,  and  while  we  had  plenty  of  cattle  for  beef, 
we  had  no  salt  with  which  to  cure  the  meat,  and 
the  hot  summer  sun  soon  made  it  unfit  to  eat. 

Yet,  with  all  this,  there  was  little  murmuring, 
the  example  of  our  commander  encouraging  us 
all.  At  our  council  in  our  tent  that  evening,  Pey- 
ronie,  with  invincible  good  humor,  declared  that 
no  man  could  complain  so  long  as  the  tobacco 
lasted,  and  in  a  cloud  of  blue-gray  smoke,  we  gave 
our  hastily  constructed  fort  the  suggestive  name  of 
"  Fort  Necessity." 

The  morning  of  the  third  of  July  was  spent 
by  us  in  overhauling  the  firelocks  and  making  the 
last  dispositions  of  our  men.  Colonel  Washing 
ton  inspected  personally  the  whole  line,  and  saw 
that  no  detail  was  overlooked.  He  had  not  slept 
for  two  nights,  but  seemed  indefatigable,  and  even 
the  regulars  cheered  him  as  he  passed  along  the 
breastwork.  But  at  last  the  inspection  was  fin 
ished  and  we  settled  down  to  wait. 

Peyronie  and  myself  had  been  stationed  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  fort  with  thirty  men,  and 
just  before  noon,  from  far  away  in  the  forest,  came 
the  sound  of  a  single  musket  shot.  We  waited  in 
suspense  for  what  might  follow,  and  in  a  moment 
a  sentry  came  running  from  the  wood  with  one 
arm  swinging  useless  by  his  side. 

"  They  have  come  !  "  he  cried,  as  he  tumbled 
over  the  breastwork.  "  They  will  be  here  in  a 
moment,"  and  even  as  he  spoke,  the  edge  of  the 
forest  was  filled  with  French  and  Indians,  and  a 


122  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

lively  fire  was  opened  against  us,  but  the  range 
was  so  great  that  the  bullets  did  no  damage.  The 
drums  beat  the  alarm,  and  expecting  a  general 
attack,  we  were  formed  in  column  before  the 
intrenchment.  But  the  enemy  had  no  stomach 
for  that  kind  of  work,  and  veered  off  to  the  south, 
where  they  occupied  two  little  hills,  whence  they 
could  enfilade  a  portion  of  our  position.  We 
answered  their  fire  as  best  we  could,  but  it  was 
cruel,  disheartening  work. 

"  Do  you  call  this  war  ?  "  asked  Peyronie  im 
patiently,  after  an  hour  of  this  gunnery.  "  In 
faith,  had  I  thought  't  would  be  like  this,  I  had 
been  less  eager  to  enlist.  Why  don't  the  cowards 
try  an  assault  ?  " 

"  Yes,  why  don't  they  ?  "  and  I  looked  gloomily 
at  the  wall  of  trees  from  which  jets  of  smoke  and 
flame  puffed  incessantly. 

"  'T  is  not  the  kind  of  fighting  I  've  been  used 
to,"  cried  Peyronie.  "  In  Europe  we  fight  on 
open  ground,  where  the  best  man  wins ;  we  do  not 
skulk  behind  the  trees  and  through  the  under 
brush.  I  've  a  good  notion  to  try  a  sally.  What 
say  you,  Stewart  ?  " 

"  Here  comes  Colonel  Washington,"  I  answered. 
"  Let  us  ask  him."  But  he  shook  his  head  when 
we  proposed  it  to  him. 

"  'T  would  be  madness,"  he  said.  "  They  are 
three  times  our  number,  and  would  pick  us  all  off 
before  we  could  reach  the  trees.  No,  the  best  we 
can  do  is  to  remain  behind  our  breastwork.  It 
seems  a  mean  kind  of  warfare,  I  admit,  but  't  is  a 


THE  FRENCH   SCORE  FIRST  123 

kind  we  must  get  accustomed  to,  if  we  are  to  fight 
the  French  and  Indians;"  and  he  walked  on  along 
his  rounds,  speaking  a  word  of  encouragement  here 
and  there,  and  seemingly  quite  unconscious  of  the 
bullets  which  whistled  about  him. 

Yet  the  breastwork  did  not  protect  us  wholly, 
for  now  and  then  a  man  would  throw  up  his  arms 
and  fall  with  a  single  shrill  cry,  or  roll  over  in 
the  mud  of  the  trench,  cursing  horribly,  with  a 
bullet  in  him  somewhere.  Doctor  Craik,  who  had 
enlisted  as  lieutenant,  was  soon  compelled  to  lay 
aside  his  gun  and  do  what  he  could  to  relieve  their 
suffering.  Not  for  a  moment  during  the  afternoon 
did  the  enemy's  fire  slacken,  and  the  strain  began 
to  tell  upon  our  men.  The  pieces  grew  foul,  there 
were  only  two  screw-rods  in  the  camp  with  which 
to  clean  them,  and  as  the  hours  passed,  our  fire 
grew  less  and  less.  The  swivels  had  long  since 
been  abandoned,  for  the  gunners  were  picked  off 
so  soon  as  they  showed  themselves  above  the  breast 
work. 

There  had  been  mutterings  of  thunder  and  dashes 
of  rain  all  the  afternoon,  and  now  the  storm  broke 
in  earnest,  the  rain  falling  in  such  fury  as  I  had 
never  seen.  The  trenches  filled  with  water,  and 
we  tried  in  vain  to  keep  dry  the  powder  in  our 
cartouch  boxes.  Not  only  was  this  wet,  but  the 
rain  leaked  through  the  magazine  we  had  built  in 
the  middle  of  the  camp,  and  ruined  the  ammuni 
tion  we  had  stored  there.  So  soon  as  the  rain 
slackened,  the  enemy  resumed  their  fire,  but  Major 
Washington  forbade  us  to  reply,  since  there  was 


124  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

scarce  a  dozen  rounds  in  the  fort.  I  confess  that 
this  species  of  fighting  took  the  heart  out  of  me, 
and  I  could  see  no  chance  of  a  successful  issue. 

I  was  sitting  thus,  looking  gloomily  out  at  the 
forest  in  front  of  me,  and  wondering  why  the 
fire  from  there  had  ceased,  when  I  noticed  that 
there  seemed  to  be  many  more  rocks  and  bushes 
scattered  about  the  plain  than  I  had  ever  before 
observed.  The  gloom  of  the  evening  had  fallen, 
and  I  rubbed  my  eyes  and  looked  again  to  make 
sure  I  was  not  mistaken.  No,  there  was  no  mis 
take,  and  I  suddenly  understood  what  was  about 
to  happen. 

"  Peyronie,"  I  whispered  to  my  neighbor,  who 
was  sitting  in  the  mud,  swearing  softly  under  his 
mustache,  "  we  are  going  to  have  some  excitement 
presently.  The  Indians  are  creeping  up  to  carry 
us  by  assault." 

"  What  ? "  he  exclaimed,  sitting  suddenly  up 
right.  "  Oh,  no  such  luck  !  " 

"  Yes,  but  they  are,"  I  insisted.  "  Watch  those 
bushes  out  there.  See,  they  're  moving  up  toward 
us." 

He  rose  to  his  knees  and  peered  keenly  out 
through  the  gloom. 

"  Pardieu,"  he  muttered  after  a  moment,  "  so 
they  are !  Well,  we  shall  be  ready  for  them." 

We  passed  the  word  around  to  our  men,  and 
startled  them  into  new  life.  The  muskets  were 
primed  sparingly  with  dry  powder,  and  we  waited 
with  tense  nerves  for  the  assault.  The  fusillade 
from  the  hills  had  been  redoubled,  but  a  terrible 


THE   FRENCH   SCORE   FIRST  125 

and  threatening  silence  hung  over  the  intrench- 
ment,  and  doubtless  encouraged  our  assailants  to 
believe  that  our  ammunition  was  quite  gone.  Near 
and  nearer  crept  the  Indians,  fifty  or  sixty  of  them 
at  least,  and  perhaps  many  more,  and  we  lay  still 
with  bursting  pulses  and  waited.  Now  the  fore 
most  of  them  was  scarce  forty  yards  away,  and 
suddenly,  with  a  yell,  they  were  all  upon  their  feet 
and  charging  us. 

"  Tirez,  tirez  !  "  shouted  Peyronie,  forgetting 
his  English  in  his  excitement,  and  we  sent  a 
volley  full  into  them.  It  was  a  warmer  reception 
than  they  had  counted  on,  and  they  wavered  for  a 
moment,  but  there  must  have  been  a  Frenchman 
leading  them,  for  they  rallied,  and  came  on  again 
with  a  rush.  We  met  them  with  fixed  bayonets, 
but  they  outnumbered  us  so  greatly  that  we  must 
have  given  way  before  them  had  not  Colonel  Wash 
ington,  hearing  the  uproar  and  guessing  its  mean 
ing,  dashed  over  at  the  head  of  reinforcements 
and  given  them  another  volley.  As  I  was  reload 
ing  with  feverish  haste,  I  saw  an  Indian  rush  at 
Colonel  Washington  with  raised  tomahawk.  Wash 
ington  raised  his  pistol,  coolly  took  aim,  and  pulled 
the  trigger,  but  the  powder  flashed  and  did  not 
explode.  With  the  sweat  stai-ting  from  my  fore 
head,  I  dashed  some  powder  into  the  pan  of  my 
pistol,  jerked  it  up,  and  fired.  Ah,  Captain  Paul, 
how  I  blessed  your  lessons  in  that  moment!  for 
the  ball  went  true,  and  the  Indian  rolled  in 
the  mud  almost  at  Washington's  feet.  They  had 
had  enough,  and  those  who  were  still  alive  leaped 


126  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

the  trench  and  disappeared  into  the  outer  dark 
ness. 

"They  won't  try  that  again,"  I  remarked  to 
Peyronie,  who  was  sitting  against  the  breastwork. 
"  But  what  is  it,  man  ?  Are  you  wounded  ?  "  I 
cried,  seeing  that  he  was  very  pale  and  held  both 
hands  to  his  breast. 

"  Yes,  I  am  hit  here,"  he  answered,  and  added, 
as  I  fell  on  my  knees  beside  him  and  began  to  tear 
the  clothing  from  the  wound,  "but  do  not  distress 
yourself,  Stewart.  I  can  be  attended  after  the 
battle  is  won." 

"  Nonsense,"  I  said.  "  You  shall  be  attended 
at  once."  He  smiled  up  at  me,  and  then  went 
suddenly  white  and  fell  against  my  shoulder.  I 
tore  away  his  shirt,  and  saw  that  blood  was  well 
ing  from  a  wound  in  the  breast.  I  propped  him 
against  the  wall,  and  ordering  one  of  the  men  to 
go  for  Doctor  Craik,  stanched  the  blood  as  well 
as  I  could.  The  doctor  hastened  to  us  so  soon  as 
he  could  leave  his  other  wounded,  but  he  shook  his 
head  gravely  when  he  saw  Peyroiiie's  injury. 

"  A  bad  case,"  he  said.  "  Clear  into  the  lungs, 
I  think.  But  I  have  seen  men  recover  of  worse 
hurts,"  he  added,  seeing  how  pale  I  was. 

I  watched  him  as  he  bound  up  the  wound  with 
deft  fingers,  and  then  between  us  we  carried  him 
to  the  little  cabin,  which  had  been  converted  from 
magazine  to  hospital,  and  was  already  crowded 
from  wall  to  wall.  It  was  with  a  sore  heart  that 
I  left  him  and  returned  to  the  breastwork,  for 
I  had  come  to  love  Peyronie  dearly.  The  event 


THE   FRENCH   SCORE   FIRST  127 

was  not  so  serious  as  I  then  feared,  for,  after  a 
gallant  fight  for  life,  he  won  the  battle,  recovered 
of  his  wound,  and  lived  to  do  service  in  another 
war. 

The  repulse  of  the  Indians  seemed  to  have  dis 
heartened  the  enemy,  for  their  fire  slackened  until 
only  a  shot  now  and  then  broke  the  stillness  of  the 
night.  Our  condition  was  desperate  as  it  could 
well  be,  yet  I  heard  no  word  of  surrender.  I  was 
sitting  listlessly,  thinking  of  Peyronie's  wound, 
when  a  whisper  ran  along  the  lines  that  the 
French  were  sending  a  flag  of  truce.  Sure  enough, 
we  could  see  a  man  in  white  uniform  approaching 
the  breastwork,  waving  a  white  flag  above  his 
head.  He  was  halted  by  the  sentries  while  yet 
some  distance  off,  and  Colonel  Washington  sent 
for.  He  appeared  in  a  moment. 

"Where  is  Lieutenant  Peyronie?"  he  asked. 
"  We  will  have  need  of  him." 

"  He  is  wounded,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  He  was 
shot  through  the  breast  during  the  assault." 

Washington  glanced  about  at  the  circle  of  faces. 

"  Is  there  any  other  here  who  speaks  French  ?  " 
he  asked. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence. 

"  Why,  sir,"  said  Vanbraam  at  last,  "  I  have 
managed  to  pick  up  the  fag  ends  of  a  good  many 
languages  during  my  life,  and  I  can  jabber  French 
a  little." 

"  Very  well,"  and  Washington  motioned  him 
forward.  "Mount  the  breastwork  and  ask  this 
fellow  what  he  wants." 


128  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

Vanbraam  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  there  was  a 
moment's  high-toned  conversation  between  him  and 
the  Frenchman. 

"  He  says,  sir,"  said  Vanbraam,  "  that  he  has 
been  sent  by  his  commander,  M.  Coulon-Villiers, 
to  propose  a  parley." 

Washington  looked  at  him  keenly. 

"  And  he  wishes  to  enter  the  fort  ?  " 

"  He  says  he  wishes  to  see  you,  sir." 

Washington  glanced  about  at  the  mud-tilled 
trenches,  the  ragged,  weary  men,  the  haggard 
faces  of  the  officers,  the  dead  scattered  here  and 
there  along  the  breastwork,  and  his  face  grew 
stern. 

"  'T  is  a  trick  !  "  he  cried.  "  He  wishes  to  see 
how  we  are  situated.  Tell  him  that  we  do  not  care 
to  parley,  but  are  well  prepared  to  defend  our 
selves  against  any  force  the  French  can  muster." 

I  gasped  at  the  audacity  of  the  man,  and  the 
Frenchman  was  doubtless  no  less  astonished.  He 
disappeared  into  the  forest,  but  half  an  hour  later 
again  approached  the  fort.  Vanbraam's  services 
as  interpreter  were  called  for  a  second  time,  and 
there  was  a  longer  parley  between  him  and  the 
messenger. 

"  He  proposes,"  said  Vanbraam,  when  the  talk 
was  finished,  "that  we  send  two  officers  to  meet 
two  French  officers,  for  the  purpose  of  agreeing 
upon  articles  of  capitulation.  M.  Coulon-Villiers 
states  that  he  is  prepared  to  make  many  conces 
sions,  and  he  believes  this  course  will  be  for  the 
advantage  of  both  parties." 


THE   FRENCH   SCORE   FIRST  129 

Washington  looked  around  at  the  officers 
grouped  about  him. 

"  It  is  clear  that  we  must  endeavor  to  make 
terms,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "  The  morning  will 
disclose  our  plight  to  the  enemy,  and  it  will  then 
be  no  longer  a  question  of  terms,  but  of  surrender. 
At  present  they  believe  us  capable  of  defense, 
hence  they  talk  of  concessions.  What  say  you, 
gentlemen  ?  " 

There  was  nothing  to  be  said  except  to  agree, 
and  Vanbraam  and  Captain  Stephen  were  sent  out 
to  confer  with  the  French.  They  returned  in  the 
course  of  an  hour,  bringing  with  them  the  articles 
already  signed  by  Coulon-Villiers,  and  awaiting 
only  Colonel  Washington's  ratification.  Van 
braam  read  them  aloud  by  the  light  of  a  flickering 
candle,  and  we  listened  in  silence  until  he  had 
finished.  They  were  better  than  we  could  have 
hoped,  providing  that  we  should  march  out  at  day 
break  with  all  the  honors  of  war,  drums  beating, 
flags  flying,  and  match  lighted  for  our  cannon  ; 
that  we  should  take  with  us  our  baggage,  be 
protected  from  the  Indians,  and  be  permitted  to 
retire  unmolested  to  Virginia,  in  return  for  which 
we  were  to  release  all  the  prisoners  we  had  taken 
a  few  days  before,  and  as  they  were  already  on 
their  way  to  the  colony,  should  leave  two  officers 
with  the  French  as  hostages  until  the  prisoners 
had  been  delivered  to  them. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence  when  Vanbraam 
had  finished  reading,  and  then,  without  raising  his 
head,  Colonel  Washington  sighed,  and  threw  the 


130  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

pen  far  from  him.  Then  he  arose  and  walked 
slowly  to  his  quarters,  and  I  saw  him  no  more  that 
night.  Captain  Mackay  insisted  also  that  he  must 
sign  the  paper,  and,  to  my  intense  disgust,  wrote 
his  name  in  above  that  of  our  commander. 

There  was  little  sleep  for  any  of  us  that  night, 
and  I  almost  envied  Peyronie  tossing  on  his 
blanket,  oblivious  to  what  was  passing  about  him. 
Vanbraam  and  Robert  Stobo  were  appointed  to 
accompany  the  French  back  to  the  Ohio,  to  remain 
there  as  hostages,  and  we  all  shook  hands  with 
them  before  they  went  away  through  the  darkness 
toward  the  French  camp. 

But  the  night  passed,  and  at  daybreak  we  aban 
doned  the  fort  and  began  the  retreat,  carrying  our 
sick  and  wounded  on  our  backs,  since  the  Indians 
had  killed  all  our  horses.  Most  of  our  baggage 
was  perforce  left  behind,  and  the  Indians  lost  no 
time  in  looting  it.  That  done,  they  pressed  threat 
eningly  upon  our  rear,  so  that  an  attack  seemed 
imminent,  nor  did  the  French  make  any  effort  to 
restrain  them ;  but  we  held  firm,  and  the  Indians 
finally  drew  off  and  returned  to  the  fort,  leaving 
us  to  cover  as  best  we  might  those  weary  miles 
over  the  mountains.  By  the  promise  of  ten  pis 
toles,  I  had  secured  two  men  to  bear  Peyronie 
between  them  on  a  blanket,  but  't  was  impossible 
to  treat  all  the  wounded  so,  and  the  fainting  men 
staggered  along  under  their  screaming  burdens, 
falling  sometimes,  and  lying  where  they  fell  from 
sheer  exhaustion. 

What   Colonel  Washington's   feelings   were  I 


THE   FRENCH   SCORE   FIRST  131 

could  only  guess.  He  strode  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  his  head  bowed  on  his  breast,  his  heart 
doubtless  torn  by  the  suffering  about  him,  and  say 
ing  riot  a  word  for  hours  together,  nor  did  any 
venture  to  approach  him.  I  doubt  if  ever  in  his 
life  he  will  be  called  upon  to  pass  through  a  darker 
hour  than  he  did  on  that  morning  of  the  fourth  of 
July,  1754.  Through  no  fault  of  his,  the  power 
of  England  on  the  Ohio  had  been  dealt  a  stagger 
ing  blow,  and  his  pride  and  ambition  crushed  into 
the  dust. 

What  need  to  tell  of  that  weary  march  back  to 
the  settlements,  the  suffering  by  the  way,  the  sorry 
reception  accorded  us,  the  consternation  caused  by 
the  news  of  French  success  ?  At  Winchester  we 
met  two  companies  from  North  Carolina  which  had 
been  marching  to  join  us,  and  these  were  ordered 
to  Will's  Creek,  to  establish  a  post  to  protect  the 
frontier  from  the  expected  Indian  aggression. 
Captain  Mackay  and  his  men  remained  at  Win 
chester,  while  our  regiment  returned  to  Alexandria 
to  rest  and  recruit.  As  for  me,  I  was  glad  enough 
to  put  off  the  harness  of  war  and  make  the  best  of 
my  way  back  to  Riverview,  saddened  and  humbled 
by  this  first  experience,  which  was  so  different  from 
the  warfare  of  which  I  had  read  and  dreamed,  with 
its  bright  pageantry,  its  charges  and  shock  of  arms, 
its  feats  of  single  combat.  Fate  willed  that  I  was 
yet  to  see  another,  trained  on  the  battlefields  of 
Europe,  humbled  in  the  dust  by  these  foes  whom 
I  found  so  despicable,  and  the  soldiers  of  the  king 
taught  a  lesson  they  were  never  to  forget. 


132  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

One  word  more.  Perhaps  I  have  been  unjust 
to  Captain  Mackay  and  his  men.  Time  has  done 
much  to  soften  the  bitterness  with  which  their  con 
duct  filled  me,  and  as  I  look  back  now  across  the 
score  of  years  that  lie  between,  I  can  appreciate 
to  some  degree  their  attitude  toward  our  com 
mander.  Certainly  it  might  seem  a  dangerous 
thing  to  intrust  an  enterprise  of  such  moment  to 
a  youth  of  twenty-two,  with  no  knowledge  of  war 
fare  but  that  he  had  gained  from  books.  It  is 
perhaps  not  wonderful  that  veterans  should  have 
looked  at  him  askance,  and  I  would  not  think  of 
them  too  harshly.  He  doubtless  made  mistakes, 
—  as  what  man  would  not  have  done  ?  —  yet  I 
believe  that  not  even  the  first  captain  of  the  em 
pire  could  have  snatched  victory  from  odds  so 
desperate. 


CHAPTER   XI 

DREAM    DAYS    AT    RIVERVIEW 

IN  the  many  summer  evenings  which  followed, 
I  played  the  part  of  that  broken  soldier,  who,  as 
Mr.  Goldsmith  has  just  told  us  so  delightfully, 

' '  talked  the  night  away, 

Wept  o'er  his  wounds,  or,  tales  of  sorrow  done, 
Shouldered  his  crutch  and  showed  how  fields  were  won." 

Alas,  I  could  show  not  how  they  were  won,  but 
only  how  they  were  lost,  and  how  was  one  to  clothe 
in  romance  a  battle  which  had  been  fought  in  the 
midst  of  mud  and  rain,  from  behind  a  breastwork, 
and  with  scarce  a  glimpse  of  the  enemy  ?  But  I 
had  a  rapt  audience  of  two  in  James  and  Dorothy. 
They  were  not  critical,  and  I  told  the  story  of 
Great  Meadows  over  and  over  again,  a  score  of 
times. 

A  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  overlooking  on 
one  side  the  willow-draped  waters  of  Occoquan  In 
let,  and  on  the  other  the  broad  and  placid  river,  a 
seat  had  been  fashioned  between  two  massive  oaks, 
and  here,  of  an  evening,  it  was  our  wont  to  go. 
Sometimes,  by  great  good  fortune,  James  did  not 
accompany  us,  and  Dorothy  and  I  would  sit  there 
alone  together  and  watch  the  shadows  deepen 
across  the  water.  Our  talk  would  falter  and  die 


134  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

away  before  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  and  there 
would  be  long  silences,  broken  only  now  and  then 
by  a  half  whispered  sentence.  I  had  never  known 
a  sweeter  time,  and  even  yet,  when  night  is  coining 
on,  I  love  to  steal  forth  to  sit  there  again  and  gaze 
across  the  water  and  dream  upon  the  past. 

During  the  day,  I  saw  but  little  of  the  other 
members  of  the  family,  and  was  left  greatly  to  my 
own  resources.  My  aunt  was  ever  busy  with  the 
management  of  the  estate,  to  every  detail  of  which 
she  gave  personal  attention,  and  which  she  ad 
ministered  with  a  thrift  and  thoroughness  I  could 
not  but  admire.  The  worry  of  incessant  business 
left  its  mark  upon  her.  The  lines  in  her  face 
deepened,  and  the  silver  in  her  hair  grew  more 
pronounced,  but  though  she  doubtless  felt  her 
strength  failing,  she  clung  grimly  to  the  work.  I 
would  have  offered  to  assist  her  but  that  I  knew 
she  would  resent  the  suggestion,  and  would  believe 
I  made  it  to  gain  some  knowledge  of  the  income 
from  the  estate,  of  which  I  had  always  been  kept 
in  densest  ignorance,  and  with  which,  indeed,  I 
troubled  myself  but  little.  I  think  her  old  fear 
of  my  claiming  the  place  came  on  her  again,  and 
though  she  always  tried  to  treat  me  civilly,  the 
effort  in  the  end  proved  too  great  for  her  over 
wrought  nerves,  as  you  shall  presently  hear. 

Upon  Dorothy  fell  the  duty  of  looking  after  the 
household,  and  she  went  about  it  cheerfully  and 
willingly.  Her  mornings  were  passed  in  instruct 
ing  the  servants  in  their  duties  and  seeing  that 
their  work  was  properly  done.  There  were  visits 


DREAM   DAYS  AT  RIVERVIEW  135 

to  the  pantry  and  kitchen,  and  a  long  conference 
with  the  cook,  so  that  noon  was  soon  at  hand.  The 
afternoon  was  spent  in  the  great  workroom  on 
the  upper  floor,  into  which  I  ventured  to  peep 
once  or  twice,  only  to  be  bidden  to  go  about  my 
business.  But  it  was  a  pleasant  sight,  and  I  some 
times  gathered  courage  to  steal  down  the  corridor 
for  a  glimpse  of  it.  There  sat  Dorothy  in  a  dainty 
gown  of  Covent  Garden  calico,  directing  half  a 
dozen  old  negro  women,  who  were  cutting  out  and 
sewing  together  the  winter  clothing  of  fearnaught 
for  the  slaves.  Two  or  three  girls  had  been  brought 
in  to  be  taught  the  mysteries  of  needle-craft,  and 
Dorothy  turned  to  them  from  time  to  time  to  watch 
their  work  and  direct  their  rebellious  fingers.  I 
would  fain  have  taken  a  lesson,  too,  but  when  I 
proposed  this  one  day,  representing  how  great  my 
need  might  be  when  I  was  over  the  mountains  far 
away  from  any  woman,  Dorothy  informed  me 
sternly,  amid  the  titters  of  the  others,  that  my 
fingers  were  too  big  and  clumsy  to  be  taught  to 
manage  so  delicate  an  instrument  as  a  needle,  and 
sent  me  from  the  room. 

Young  James  had  also  much  to  occupy  his  time. 
His  mother  was  as  yet  in  doubt  whether  he  should 
complete  his  education  at  William  and  Mary,  as  I 
had  done,  or  should  be  sent  to  London  to  acquire 
the  true  polish.  The  boy  greatly  favored  the  latter 
course,  as  any  boy  of  spirit  would  have  done,  and 
his  mother  would  have  yielded  to  him  readily,  but 
for  the  stories  she  had  heard  of  the  riotous  living 
which  prevailed  among  the  young  blades  in  Lon- 


136  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

don,  and  of  which  she  had  had  ample  confirmation 
from  Parson  Scott,  who,  I  suspect,  before  coming 
to  his  estate  at  Westwood,  had  ruffled  it  with  the 
best  of  them.  Whether  it  should  be  Williams- 
burg  or  London,  the  boy  was  required  to  be  kept 
at  his  books  every  morning,  and  was  off  every 
afternoon  to  the  Dumfries  tavern,  where  there 
was  always  a  crowd  of  ne'er-do-wells,  promoting  a 
cock-fight,  or  a  horse  race,  or  eye-gouging  contest. 
Sometimes,  he  elected  to  spend  the  evening  in  this 
company,  and  it  was  then  that  Dorothy  and  I  were 
left  alone  together  on  the  seat  beside  the  river. 

But  when  Sunday  came,  there  was  another  story. 
The  great  coach  was  brought  from  the  stable  and 
polished  till  it  shone  again,  —  indeed,  it  had  been 
polished  so  often  and  so  vigorously  that  its  gilding 
and  paint  began  to  show  the  marks  of  it.  The 
four  horses  were  led  out,  rubbed  down  from  nose 
to  heel,  and  harnessed  in  their  brightest  trappings. 
The  driver,  footman,  and  two  outriders  donned 
their  liveries,  in  which  they  were  the  envy  of  all 
the  other  servants,  and  the  coach  was  driven  around 
to  the  front  of  the  house,  from  which  presently 
emerged  Madame  Stewart,  in  a  stately  gown  of 
flowered  calamanco,  her  fan  and  gold  pomander 
in  her  hand.  Then  came  Dorothy,  her  sweet 
face  looking  most  coquettish  under  her  Ranelagh 
mob  of  gauze,  the  ribbons  crossed  beneath  her  chin 
and  fluttering  half  a  yard  behind.  As  she  tripped 
down  the  steps  and  lifted  her  tiffany  petticoat  ever 
so  little,  I  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  prettiest 
pair  of  ankles  in  the  world  in  silk-clocked  hose,  for 


137 

the  reader  can  guess  without  my  telling  that  I  was 
close  behind,  holding  her  kerchief  or  her  fan  or 
her  silver  etui  until  she  should  be  safely  seated  in 
the  coach.  And  that  once  done,  the  whip  cracked, 
the  wheels  started,  and  I  swung  myself  on  horse 
back  and  trotted  along  beside  the  window,  on  Dor 
othy's  side,  you  may  be  sure. 

So,  in  great  state,  we  proceeded  to  the  new 
Quantico  church  near  Dumfries,  a  prodigious  fine 
structure  of  brick,  built  the  year  before  at  a  cost 
of  a  hundred  thousand  weight  of  tobacco,  of  which 
my  aunt  had  contributed  a  tenth.  The  other  mem 
bers  of  the  congregation  awaited  our  arrival, 
grouped  before  the  door,  and,  entering  after  us, 
remained  decently  standing  till  we  had  mounted  to 
the  loft  and  taken  our  seats,  a  show  of  deference 
which  greatly  pleased  my  aunt.  The  church  was 
built  in  a  little  recess  from  the  road,  in  the  midst 
of  a  grove  of  ancient  trees,  cruciform,  as  so  many 
others  were  throughout  the  colony,  and  stands  to 
day  just  as  it  stood  then,  —  as  I  have  good  cause  to 
know,  for  't  was  in  that  church,  before  that  altar  — 
But  there,  you  shall  learn  it  all  in  time. 

Doctor  Scott  was  a  goodly  preacher,  but  the 
one  portion  of  the  service  for  me  was  the  singing, 
when  I  might  stand  beside  Dorothy  and  listen  to 
her  voice.  She  sang  with  whole  heart  and  undi 
vided  mind,  recking  nothing  of  me  standing  spell 
bound  there.  Indeed,  I  think  the  pastor  shrewdly 
saw  that  her  singing  was  a  means  of  grace  no  less 
than  his  expounding,  and  he  never  failed  to  jour 
ney  to  Riverview  on  a  Friday  to  talk  over  with  her 


138  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

what  should  be  her  part  in  the  service  on  the  com 
ing  Sunday.  Nor  did  I  ever  know  her  to  refuse 
this  labor,  —  not  because  she  was  vain  of  her 
power,  but  because  she  saw  the  good  it  did. 

The  service  once  over,  there  were  greetings  to 
exchange,  the  news  of  the  neighborhood  to  talk 
over,  crops  to  discuss,  and  what  not.  My  heart 
would  burn  within  me  as  I  saw  the  men  buzzing 

O 

about  Dorothy  like  flies  about  a  dish  of  honey, 
though  my  jealousy  was  lightened  when  I  saw  that 
while  she  had  a  gay  word  for  each  of  them,  she 
smiled  on  all  alike.  The  minx  could  read  my 
mind  like  an  open  book,  whether  I  was  moping  in 
one  corner  of  the  churchyard  or  on  the  bench  be 
side  her,  and  she  loved  to  tease  me  by  pretending 
great  admiration  for  this  man  or  that,  and  consult 
ing  me  about  him  as  she  would  have  done  a  brother. 
Which,  I  need  hardly  say,  annoyed  me  vastly. 

The  gossip  over,  we  drove  home  again  to  lunch, 
after  which,  on  the  wide  veranda  or  the  bench 
by  the  river's  edge,  I  would  read  Dorothy  some 
bits  of  Mr.  Addison  or  Mr.  Pope,  which  latter  she 
could  not  abide,  though  his  pungent  verses  fell  in 
exceeding  well  with  my  melancholy  humor.  Even 
ing  past  and  bedtime  come,  I  lighted  Dorothy's 
candle  for  her  at  the  table  in  the  lower  hall,  where 
the  silver  sticks  were  set  out  in  their  nightly  array 
like  French  soldiers,  gleaming  all  in  white,  and 
when  I  gave  it  to  her  and  bade  her  good-night  at 
the  stair-foot,  I  got  her  hand  to  hold  for  an  instant. 
Then  to  my  room,  where  over  innumerable  pipes 
of  sweet-scented,  I  struggled  with  some  halting 


DREAM  DAYS  AT  KIVERVIEW  139 

verses  of  my  own  until  my  candle  guttered  in  its 
stick. 

Hours  and  hours  did  I  pass  thinking  how  I 
might  tell  her  of  my  love,  but  at  the  last  I  con 
cluded  it  were  better  to  say  nothing,  until  I  had 
something  more  to  offer  her.  What  right  had  I,  I 
questioned  bitterly,  to  offer  marriage  to  any  maid, 
when  I  had  no  home  to  which  to  take  a  wife,  and 
I  had  never  felt  the  irksomeness  of  my  circum 
stances  as  I  did  at  that  moment.  Something  of 
my  thought  she  must  have  understood,  for  she 
was  very  kind  to  me,  and  never  by  any  word  or 
act  showed  that  she  thought  of  the  poverty  of  my 
condition. 

So  August  and  September  passed,  and  great 
events  were  stirring.  The  House  of  Burgesses  had 
met,  and  had  been  much  impressed  by  the  showing 
we  had  made  against  the  French,  so  that  they 
passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Colonel  Washington 
for  his  distinguished  services,  and  to  the  officers 
and  men  who  had  been  with  him.  Dinwiddie  was 
most  eager  that  another  advance  should  be  made 
at  once  against  Duquesne,  but  Colonel  Washington 
pointed  out  how  hopeless  any  such  attempt  must 
be  against  the  overwhelming  odds  the  enemy  would 
bring  against  us. 

The  news  of  French  aggression  on  the  Ohio  and 
of  our  defeat  at  Fort  Necessity  had  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  court  to  the  danger  which  threatened 
the  colonies,  and  great  preparations  were  set  on 
foot  for  an  expedition  to  be  sent  to  Virginia  in  the 
early  spring.  Parliament  voted  .£50,000  toward 


140  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

its  expenses,  and  it  was  proposed  to  equip  it  on 
such  a  scale  that  the  French  could  not  hope  to 
stand  before  it.  So  it  was  decided  that  nothing 
more  should  be  attempted  by  the  colony  until  the 
forces  from  England  had  arrived.  And  then,  one 
day,  came  the  astounding  news  that  Colonel  Wash 
ington  had  resigned  from  the  service  and  returned 
to  Mount  Vernon.  A  negro  whom  Dorothy  had 
sent  on  some  errand  to  Betty  Washington  had 
brought  the  news  back  with  him.  I  could  scarcely 
credit  it,  and  was  soon  galloping  toward  Mount 
Vernon  to  confirm  it  for  myself.  I  dare  say  the 
ten  miles  of  river  road  were  never  more  quickly 
covered.  As  I  turned  into  the  broad  graveled  way 
which  led  past  the  garden  up  to  the  house,  I  saw 
a  tall  and  well-known  figure  standing  before  the 
door,  and  he  came  toward  me  with  a  smile  as  I 
threw  myself  from  the  saddle. 

"  Ah,  Tom,"  he  cried,  "  I  thought  I  should  see 
you  soon,"  and  he  took  my  hand  warmly. 

"  Is  it  true,"  I  asked,  too  anxious  to  delay  an 
instant  the  solution  of  the  mystery,  "  that  you  have 
left  the  service  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  true." 

"  And  you  will  not  make  the  campaign  ?  " 

"  I  see  no  prospect  now  of  doing  so." 

"  But  why  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Pardon  me,  if  I  am  in 
discreet." 

"  'T  is  a  reason  which  all  may  know,"  and  he 
smiled  grimly,  "  which,  indeed,  I  wish  all  to  know, 
that  my  action  may  not  be  misjudged." 

We  were  walking  up  and  down  before  the  door, 


DREAM   DAYS  AT  RIVERVIEW  141 

and  he  paused  a  moment  as  though  to  choose  his 
words,  lest  he  say  more  than  he  desired. 

"  You  know  there  has  been  great  unpleasant 
ness,"  he  said  at  last,  "  between  officers  holding 
royal  commissions  and  those  holding  provincial 
ones,  concerning  the  matter  of  precedence.  You 
may  remember  that  Captain  Mackay  held  himself 
my  superior  at  Fort  Necessity,  because  he  had  his 
commission  from  the  crown." 

Of  course  I  remembered  it,  as  well  as  the  many 
disagreements  which  the  contention  had  occasioned. 

"  It  was  evident  that  the  question  must  be  set 
tled  one  way  or  another,"  continued  Washington, 
"  and  to  do  this,  an  order  has  just  been  issued  by 
the  governor.  The  order  provides  that  no  officer 
who  does  not  derive  his  commission  immediately 
from  the  king  can  command  one  who  does." 

It  was  some  minutes  before  I  understood  the  full 
effect  which  such  an  order  would  have. 

"  Do  you  mean,"  I  asked  at  last,  "  that  you 
would  be  outranked  by  every  subaltern  in  the  ser 
vice  who  holds  a  royal  commission  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably,"  and  Washington  looked 
away  across  the  fields  with  a  stern  face. 

"  But  that  is  an  outrage  !  "  I  cried.  "  What, 
every  whippersnapper  in  the  line  be  your  superior  ? 
Why,  it 's  rank  folly  !  " 

"  So  I  thought,"  said  Washington,  "  and  there 
fore  I  resigned,  and  refused  to  serve  under  such 
conditions." 

"  And  you  did  right,"  I  said  warmly.  "  You 
could  have  taken  no  other  course." 


142  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

But  much  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  upon 
him  to  get  him  back  into  the  service.  General 
Sharpe  was  most  anxious  to  secure  the  services  of 
the  best  fighter  and  most  experienced  soldier  in 
Virginia,  and  urged  him  to  accept  a  company  of 
the  Virginia  troops ;  but  he  replied  shortly  that, 
though  strongly  bent  to  arms,  he  had  no  inclination 
to  hold  a  commission  to  which  neither  rank  nor 
emolument  attached.  And  that  remained  his  an 
swer  to  all  like  importunities.  Whereat  the  author 
ities  were  greatly  wroth  at  him,  from  Governor 
Dinwiddie  down,  and  seeking  how  they  might 
wound  him  further,  cut  from  the  rolls  the  names 
of  half  a  dozen  officers  whom  they  knew  to  be  his 
friends.  I  was  one  of  those  who  got  a  discharge, 
the  reason  alleged  in  my  case  being  that  the  com 
panies  had  been  so  reduced  in  number  that  there 
was  not  need  of  so  many  officers.  It  was  a  heavy 
blow  to  me,  I  admit,  and  I  think  for  a  time  Wash 
ington  wavered  in  his  purpose  ;  but  his  friends,  of 
whom  many  now  came  to  Mount  Vernon,  persuaded 
him  to  remain  firm  in  his  resolution,  confident  that 
when  the  commander-in-chief  arrived  and  learned 
how  matters  stood,  he  would  make  every  repara 
tion  in  his  power.  At  the  bottom  of  the  entire 
trouble  was,  I  think,  Dinwiddie's  jealousy  of  Wash 
ington's  growing  popularity  and  influence,  a  jeal 
ousy  which  had  been  roused  by  every  man  who  had 
come  into  great  favor  with  the  people  since  Dinwid 
die  had  been  lieutenant-governor  of  Virginia. 

During  the  months  that  followed  I  was  much  at 
Mount  Vernon.  Indeed,  it  was  during  that  win- 


DREAM   DAYS  AT  RIVERVIEW  143 

ter  that  we  formed  the  warm  attachment  which 
still  continues.  The  family  life  there  attracted  me 
greatly,  and  I  cannot  sufficiently  express  my  admi 
ration  for  Mrs.  Washington.  She  was  slight  and 
delicate  of  figure,  but  not  even  her  eldest  son,  who 
towered  above  her,  possessed  a  greater  dignity  or 
grace.  I  loved  to  sit  at  one  corner  of  the  great 
fireplace  and  see  her  eyes  kindle  with  pride  and 
affection  as  she  gazed  at  him,  nor  did  her  other 
children  love  him  less  than  she. 

With  the  new  year  came  renewed  reports  of 
activity  in  England.  Two  regiments  under  com 
mand  of  Major-General  Braddock  were  to  be  sent 
to  Virginia,  whence,  after  being  enforced  by  pro 
vincial  levies,  they  were  to  march  against  the 
French.  I  need  not  say  how  both  Colonel  Wash 
ington  and  myself  chafed  at  the  thought  that  we 
were  not  to  make  the  campaign ;  but  when  he  sug 
gested  accepting  a  commission  as  captain  of  the 
provincial  troops,  his  friends  protested  so  against 
it  that  he  finally  abandoned  the  idea  for  good  and 
all,  and  we  settled  down  to  bear  the  inactivity  as 
best  we  could.  But  at  last  the  summons  came. 

It  was  Colonel  Washington's  twenty-third  birth 
day,  and  there  was  quite  a  celebration  at  Mount 
Vernon.  The  members  of  the  family  were  all 
there,  as  were  Dorothy,  her  brother,  and  myself,  as 
well  as  many  other  friends  from  farther  down  the 
neck.  Dinner  was  served  in  the  long,  low-ceil- 
inged  dining-room,  with  the  wide  fireplace  in  one 
corner.  What  a  meal  it  was,  with  Mrs.  Wash 
ington  at  the  table-head  and  her  son  at  the  foot,  — 


144  A  SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

yes,  and  Dorothy  there  beside  me  with  the  bright 
est  of  bright  eyes  !  I  was  ever  a  good  trencher 
man,  and  never  did  venison,  wild  turkey,  and  great 
yellow  sweet  potatoes  taste  more  savorsome  than 
they  did  that  day,  with  a  jar  of  Mrs.  Washington's 
marmalade  for  relish.  At  the  end  came  Pompey 
with  a  great  steaming  bowl  of  flip,  and  as  the 
mugs  were  filled  and  passed  from  hand  to  hand, 
Dorothy  and  Betty  Washington  plunged  in  the 
red-hot  irons  with  great  hissing  and  sizzle  and  an 
aroma  most  delicious.  We  pledged  our  host,  the 
ladies  sipping  from  our  cups  —  need  I  say  who 
from  mine  ?' —  with  little  startled  cries  of  agitation 
when  the  liquor  stung  them.  Then  they  left  us  to 
our  pipes  ;  but  before  the  smoke  was  fairly  started, 
there  came  the  gallop  of  a  horse  up  the  roadway 
past  the  kitchen  garden,  and  a  moment  later  the 
great  brass  knocker  was  plied  by  a  vigorous  hand. 
We  sat  in  mute  expectancy,  and  presently  old 
Pompey  thrust  in  his  head. 

"  Gen'leman  t'  see  you,  sah,"  he  said  to  Colonel 
Washington. 

"  Show  him  in  here,  Pomp,"  said  the  colonel ; 
and  a  moment  later  one  of  the  governor's  messen 
gers  entered,  booted  and  spurred,  his  clothing 
splashed  with  mud. 

"  I  have  a  message  for  you  from  the  governor, 
Colonel  Washington,"  he  said,  saluting,  and  hold 
ing  out  a  letter  bearing  the  governor's  great  seal. 

Washington  took  it  without  a  trace  of  emotion, 
though  I  doubt  not  his  heart  was  beating  as  madly 
as  my  own. 


DREAM   DAYS  AT  RIVERVIEW  145 

"  Sit  down,  sir,"  he  said  heartily  to  the  messen 
ger,  "  and  taste  our  punch.  I  am  sure  you  will 
find  it  excellent ;  "  and  when  he  had  seen  him  seated 
and  served,  he  turned  away  to  the  window  and 
opened  the  letter.  I  watched  him  eagerly  as  he 
read  it,  and  saw  a  slow  flush  steal  into  his  cheeks. 

"  There  is  nothing  here  I  may  not  tell,  gentle 
men,"  he  said  after  a  moment,  turning  back  to  the 
group  about  the  table.  "  Governor  Dinwiddie 
writes  me  that  General  Braddock  and  the  first  of 
the  transports  have  arrived  safely  off  Hampton, 
and  that  he  desires  me  to  meet  him  in  Williams- 
burg  as  soon  as  possible,  as  he  thinks  my  know 
ledge  of  the  country  may  be  of  some  value.  I 
shall  start  in  the  morning,"  he  added,  turning  to 
the  messenger.  "  I  trust  you  will  remain  and  be 
our  guest  till  then." 

"  Gladly,"  answered  the  man,  "  and  ride  back 
with  you."  So  it  was  settled. 

We  were  not  long  away  from  the  women  after 
that,  for  they  must  hear  the  great  news.  Colonel 
Washington  refused  to  speculate  about  it,  but  I 
was  certain  he  was  to  be  proffered  some  employ 
ment  in  the  coming  campaign  commensurate  with 
his  merit.  The  afternoon  passed  all  too  quickly, 
and  the  moment  came  for  us  to  start  back  to  Biv- 
erview.  Dorothy  ran  upstairs  to  don  her  safe 
guard,  the  horses  were  brought  out,  and  James 
and  I  struggled  into  our  coats.  Dorothy  was 
back  in  a  moment,  kissed  Mrs.  Washington  and 
Betty,  and  I  helped  her  adjust  her  mask  and  lifted 
her  to  the  saddle.  I  felt  my  cheeks  burning  as  I 


146 

turned  to  bid  good-by  to  Colonel  Washington,  who 
had  followed  us  from  the  house. 

"  If  it  should  be  an  appointment,"  I  began,  as 
I  grasped  his  hand. 

"  You  may  be  sure  I  shall  not  forget  you,  Tom," 
he  said,  smiling  down  into  my  eager  face.  "  I 
think  it  very  likely  that  we  shall  march  together 
to  fight  the  French." 

And  those  last  words  rang  in  my  ears  all  the 
way  back  to  River  view. 


CHAPTER  XII 

DOROTHY    MAKES    HER    CHOICE 

I  HAD  been  much  from  home  during  the  winter, 
and,  engrossed  in  my  own  thoughts,  had  taken 
small  account  of  what  was  passing,  but  I  soon 
found  enough  to  occupy  me.  Dorothy  had  spent 
a  month  at  Mount  Pleasant,  the  seat  of  the  Lees, 
some  distance  down  the  river,  and  when  she  re 
turned,  I  soon  began  to  suspect  that  she  had  left 
her  heart  there ;  for  one  day  there  came  riding 
up  to  Riverview  Mr.  Willoughby  Newton,  whose 
estate  was  near  Mount  Pleasant,  and  the  way  that 
Dorothy  blushed  when  she  welcomed  him  aroused 
my  ire  at  once.  Now  Mr.  Willoughby  Newton  was 
a  very  handsome  and  proper  gentleman,  and  on  his 
broad  acres  grew  some  of  the  sweetest  tobacco  that 
ever  left  Virginia ;  but  I  could  scarce  treat  him  civ 
illy,  which  only  shows  what  an  insufferable  puppy 
I  still  was,  and  I  made  myself  most  miserable. 
His  learning  was  more  of  the  court  and  camp  than 
of  the  bookshelf,  —  a  defect  which  I  soon  discov 
ered, —  and  I  loved  to  set  him  tripping  over  some 
quibble  of  words,  a  proceeding  which  amused  me 
vastly,  though  my  mirth  was  shared  by  none  of  the 
others  who  witnessed  it.  In  fact,  Madame  Stewart 
was  partial  to  the  man  from  the  first,  in  which  I 


148  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

do  not  blame  her,  for  a  better  match  could  not 
have  been  desired  for  her  daughter.  She  made 
him  see  his  welcome,  and  he  doubtless  thought  the 
road  to  Dorothy's  heart  a  fair  and  easy  one.  I 
certainly  thought  so,  and  I  spent  my  days  in  mop 
ing  about  the  place,  cutting  a  most  melancholy  and 
unattractive  figure. 

I  can  look  back  now  with  a  smile  upon  those 
days,  realizing  what  a  ridiculous  sight  I  must  have 
been,  but  at  the  time,  their  tragedy  was  for  me 
a  very  real  and  living  one.  Newton  had  passed 
some  years  in  London,  and  had  picked  up  there 
the  graces  of  the  court,  as  well  as  much  of  its  frip 
pery  gossip,  which  latter  he  was  fond  of  retailing, 
to  my  great  disgust,  but  to  the  vast  entertainment 
of  the  ladies,  who  found  no  fault  with  it,  though 
it  was  four  or  five  years  old.  He  could  tell  a  story 
well  and  turn  a  joke  to  a  nicety,  —  a  fact  which  I 
was  at  that  time  far  from  admitting,  —  and  under 
other  circumstances  I  should  have  found  him  a 
witty  and  amusing  friend.  I  think  he  soon  saw 
what  my  feelings  were, — indeed,  even  a  more  obtuse 
man  would  have  had  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
them,  —  and  he  treated  me  with  a  good-humored 
condescension  which  irritated  me  beyond  measure. 
And  yet,  unquestionably,  it  was  the  only  treatment 
my  behavior  merited. 

The  climax  came  one  evening  after  dinner.  We 
had  both,  perhaps,  had  a  glass  of  wine  too  much 
before  we  joined  the  ladies.  Certainly,  no  words 
had  passed  between  us  when  they  had  left  the  table, 
and  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  drink,  which  we 


DOROTHY  MAKES   HER   CHOICE  149 

did  with  moody  perseverance.  But  once  before 
the  fire  in  the  great  hall,  with  Madame  Stewart 
knitting  on  one  side  and  Dorothy  bending  over  her 
tambour  on  the  other,  his  mood  changed  and  he 
grew  talkative  enough,  while  I  sat  down  near  the 
candles  and  pretended  to  be  absorbed  in  a  book. 

"  Do  you  know,  ladies,"  he  said,  "  this  reminds 
me  of  nothing  so  much  as  a  night  in  London  just 
five  years  ago,  when  the  great  earthquake  was. 
We  were  sitting  around  the  fire,  just  as  we  are  sit 
ing  now,  Tommy  Collier  on  my  right,  and  Harry 
Sibley  on  my  left,  when  the  bottles  on  the  table 
began  to  clink  and  the  windows  to  rattle,  and  poor 
Harry,  who  was  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  crashed 
over  backwards  to  the  floor.  We  picked  him  up 
and  went  out  into  the  street,  where  there  was  con 
fusion  worse  confounded.  Windows  were  thrown 
open,  women  were  running  up  and  down  clad  only 
in  their  smocks,  and  one  fellow  had  mounted  a 
barrel  and  was  calling  on  the  people  to  repent  be 
cause  the  Day  of  Judgment  was  at  hand.  Some 
body  predicted  there  would  be  another  earth 
quake  in  a  week,  and  so  the  next  day  the  people 
began  to  pour  out  of  town,  not  because  they  were 
frightened,  but  '  Lord,  the  weather  is  so  fine,'  they 
said,  '  one  can't  help  going  into  the  country.'  ' 

"You  found  the  country  very  pleasant,  Mr.  New 
ton,  I  dare  say,"  I  remarked,  looking  up  from  my 
book.  He  did  not  at  once  understand  the  meaning 
of  my  question,  but  Dorothy  did,  and  flushed  crim 
son  with  anger.  The  sight  of  her  disapproval  and 
Madame  Stewart's  frowning  face  maddened  me. 


150  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  No,"  he  said  slowly,  after  a  moment,  "  I  did 
not  leave  the  city,  but  hundreds  of  people  did. 
Within  three  days,  over  seven  hundred  coaches 
were  counted  passing  Hyde  Park  corner,  with  whole 
families  going  to  the  country.  The  clergy  preached 
that  it  was  judgment  on  London  for  its  wicked 
ness,  and  that  the  next  earthquake  would  swallow 
up  the  whole  town.  The  ridotto  had  to  be  put  off 
because  there  was  no  one  to  attend  it,  and  the 
women  who  remained  in  town  spent  their  time 
between  reading  Sherlock's  sermons  and  making 
earthquake  gowns,  in  which  they  proposed  to  sit 
out  of  doors  all  night." 

"  Pray,  what  was  the  color  of  your  gown,  Mr. 
Newton  ?  "  I  inquired,  with  a  polite  show  of  inter 
est. 

Newton  rose  slowly  from  his  chair  and  came 
toward  me. 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  mean  to  insult 
me,  sir  ?  "  he  asked,  when  he  had  got  quite  near. 

"You  are  to  understand  whatever  you  please,"  I 
answered  hotly,  throwing  my  book  upon  the  table. 

"  Tom,"  cried  Dorothy,  "  for  shame,  sir !  Have 
you  taken  leave  of  your  senses  ?  " 

"  Do  not  be  frightened,  I  beg  of  you,  Miss  Ran 
dolph,"  interrupted  Newton,  restraining  her  with 
one  hand.  "  I  assure  you  that  I  have  no  intention 
of  injuring  the  boy." 

"  Injuring  me,  indeed  ! "  I  cried,  springing  to 
my  feet,  furious  with  rage,  for  I  could  not  bear  to 
be  patronized.  "  It  is  you  who  are  insulting,  and 
by  God  you  shall  answer  for  it !  " 


DOROTHY  MAKES  HER  CHOICE  151 

"  As  you  will,"  he  said,  with  a  light  laugh,  and 
turned  back  to  the  fire. 

I  knew  that  I  had  got  all  the  worst  of  the  en 
counter,  that  I  had  behaved  with  a  rudeness  for 
which  there  was  no  excuse,  and  that  I  cut  a  sorry 
figure  standing  there,  and  my  face  burned  at  the 
knowledge.  But  preserving  what  semblance  of 
dignity  I  could,  I  stalked  from  the  hall  and  upstairs 
to  my  room.  I  sat  a  long  time  thinking  over  the 
occurrence,  and  the  more  I  pondered  it,  the  moro 
clearly  I  saw  that  I  had  played  the  fool.  I  did 
not  know  then,  but  I  learned  long  afterward,  that 
my  conduct  that  night  came  near  losing  me  the 
great  happiness  of  my  life.  My  cheeks  flush  even 
now  as  I  think  of  my  behavior.  How  foolish  do 
the  tragedies  of  youth  appear,  once  time  has  tamed 
the  blood ! 

I  did  not  wonder  in  the  morning  to  receive  a 
summons  from  my  aunt,  and  I  found  her  in  her 
accustomed  chair  before  the  table  piled  with  papers. 
She  glanced  at  me  coldly  as  I  entered,  and  finished 
looking  over  a  paper  she  held  in  her  hand  before 
she  spoke  to  me. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you,"  she  said  at  length,  "  how 
greatly  your  boorish  conduct  of  last  night  surprised 
me.  To  insult  a  guest,  and  especially  to  do  so  with 
out  provocation,  is  not  the  part  of  a  gentleman." 

I  flushed  angrily,  for  the  justness  of  this  state 
ment  only  irritated  me  the  more.  I  think  it  is 
always  the  man  who  is  in  the  wrong  that  shows 
the  greatest  violence,  and  the  man  that  most  de 
serves  rebuke  who  is  most  impatient  of  it. 


152  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  There  is  no  need  for  you  to  counsel  me  how  a 
gentleman  should  behave,"  I  answered  hotly. 

"I  did  not  summon  you  here  to  counsel  you," 
she  said  still  more  coldly,  "  but  to  inform  you  that 
this  disgraceful  affair  is  to  go  no  further,  at  least 
beneath  this  roof.  Mr.  Newton  has  promised  me 
to  overlook  your  behavior,  which  is  most  generous 
on  his  part,  and  I  trust  you  will  see  the  wisdom  of 
making  peace  with  him." 

"  And  why,  may  I  ask,  madame  ?  " 

"  Because,"  she  said,  looking  me  in  the  eyes,  "  it 
is  most  likely  that  he  will  marry  my  daughter,  and 
nothing  is  more  vulgar  than  a  family  whose  mem 
bers  are  forever  quarreling." 

I  clenched  my  hands  until  the  nails  pierced  the 
flesh.  She  had  hit  me  a  hard  blow,  and  she 
knew  it. 

"  And  what  does  Dorothy  think  of  this  arrange 
ment  ? "  I  asked,  with  as  great  composure  as  I 
could  muster. 

She  smiled  with  a  calm  assurance  which  made 
my  heart  sink.  "  Dorothy  would  be  a  fool  not  to 
accept  him,  for  he  is  one  of  the  most  eligible  gentle 
men  in  Virginia.  Indeed,  perhaps  she  has  already 
done  so,  for  I  gave  him  leave  to  speak  to  her  this 
morning,"  and  she  smiled  again  as  she  noted  my 
trembling  hands,  which  I  tried  in  vain  to  steady. 
"You  seem  much  interested  in  the  matter." 

I  turned  from  her  without  replying, — I  could 
trust  myself  no  further.  Not  that  I  blamed  her 
for  hating  me,  — for  she  loved  her  son  and  I  was 
the  shadow  across  his  path,  —  but  she  was  pressing 


DOROTHY   MAKES   HER   CHOICE  153 

me  further  than  I  had  counted  on.  I  snatched  up 
my  hat  as  I  ran  along  the  hall  and  out  the  great 
door  toward  the  river.  Spring  was  coming,  the 
trees  were  shaking  out  their  foliage,  along  the 
river  the  wild  flowers  were  beginning  to  show  their 
tiny  faces,  but  I  saw  none  of  these  as  I  broke  my 
way  through  the  brush  along  the  water's  edge,  — 
for  perhaps  even  now  he  was  asking  Dorothy  to  be 
his  wife,  and  she  was  yielding  to  him.  The  thought 
maddened  me,  —  yet  why  should  she  do  otherwise? 
What  claim  had  I  upon  her?  And  yet  I  had 
builded  such  a  different  future  for  her  and  me. 

I  had  walked  I  know  not  how  long  when  I  came 
out  suddenly  upon  the  road  which  wound  along  the 
bank  and  finally  dipped  to  the  ferry,  and  here  I 
sat  down  upon  a  log  to  think.  If  Dorothy  accepted 
him,  I  could  no  longer  stay  at  Riverview.  I  must 
go  away  to  Williamsburg  and  seek  employment  in 
the  campaign,  if  only  as  a  ranger.  It  must  soon 
commence,  and  surely  they  would  not  refuse  me  in 
the  ranks.  As  I  sat  absorbed  in  bitter  thought, 
I  heard  the  sound  of  hoof  beats  up  the  road  and 
saw  a  horseman  coming.  I  drew  back  behind  a 
tree,  for  I  was  in  no  mood  to  talk  to  any  one,  and 
gloomily  watched  him  as  he  drew  nearer.  There 
seemed  something  strangely  familiar  about  the  fig 
ure,  and  in  an  instant  I  recognized  him.  It  was 
Willoughby  Newton.  In  another  moment  he  had 
passed,  his  face  a  picture  of  rage  and  shame.  He 
was  riding  away  from  Riverview  in  anger,  and  as 
I  realized  what  that  meant,  I  sprang  forward  with 
a  great  cry  of  joy.  He  must  have  heard  me,  for 


154  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

he  turned  in  the  saddle  and  shook  his  whip  at  me, 
and  for  an  instant  drew  rein  as  though  to  stop. 
But  he  thought  better  of  it,  for  he  settled  again  in 
the  saddle,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  down  the 
road. 

I  had  not  waited  so  long,  for  settling  my  hat  on 
my  head,  I  set  off  up  the  road  as  fast  as  my  legs 
would  carry  me.  It  seemed  to  me  I  should  never 
reach  the  house,  and  I  cursed  the  folly  which  had 
taken  me  so  far  away,  but  at  last  I  ran  up  the 
steps  and  into  the  hall.  As  I  entered,  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  well-known  gown  in  the  hall  above, 
and  in  an  instant  I  was  up  the  stairs. 

"  Dorothy  !  "  I  gasped,  seizing  one  of  her  hands, 
"  Dorothy,  tell  me,  you  have  told  him  no  ?  " 

I  must  have  been  a  surprising  object,  covered 
with  dust  and  breathless,  but  she  leaned  toward 
me  and  gave  me  her  other  hand. 

"Yes,  Tom,"  she  said  very  softly,  "I  told  him  no. 
I  do  not  love  him,  Tom,  and  I  could  not  marry  a 
man  I  do  not  love." 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,"  I  cried,  "  if  you  knew  how  glad 
I  am !  If  you  knew  how  I  was  raging  along  the 
river  at  the  very  thought  that  he  was  asking  you, 
and  fearing  for  your  reply  ;  for  he  is  a  very  fine 
fellow,  Dorothy,"  and  I  realized  with  amazement 
that  all  my  resentment  and  anger  against  Newton 
had  vanished  in  an  instant.  "  But  when  I  saw  him 
ride  by  like  a  madman,  I  knew  you  had  said  no,  and 
I  came  back  as  fast  as  I  could  to  make  certain." 

Somehow,  as  I  was  speaking,  I  had  drawn  her 
toward  me,  and  my  arm  was  around  her. 


DOROTHY  MAKES  HER  CHOICE          155 

"  Can  you  not  guess,  dear  Dolly,"  I  whispered 
"  why  I  was  so  angry  with  him  last  night  ?  It 
was  because  I  knew  he  was  going  to  ask  you,  and 
I  feared  that  you  might  say  yes." 

I  could  feel  her  trembling  now,  and  would  have 
bent  and  kissed  her,  but  that  she  sprang  from  me 
with  a  little  frightened  cry,  and  I  turned  to  see 
her  mother  standing  in  the  hall  below. 

"  So,"  she  said,  mounting  the  steps  with  an 
ominous  calmness,  "  my  daughter  sees  fit  to  reject 
the  addresses  of  Mr.  Newton  and  yet  receive  those 
of  Mr.  Stewart.  I  perceive  now  why  he  was  so 
deeply  concerned  in  what  I  had  to  tell  him  this 
morning.  May  I  ask,  Mr.  Stewart,  if  you  consider 
yourself  a  good  match  for  my  daughter  ?  " 

"  Good  match  or  not,  madame,"  I  cried,  "  I  love 
her,  and  if  she  will  have  me,  she  shall  be  my  wife!" 

"  Fine  talk !  "  she  sneered.  "  To  what  estate 
will  you  take  her,  sir  ?  On  what  income  will  you 
support  her  ?  My  daughter  has  been  accustomed 
to  a  gentle  life." 

"  And  if  I  have  no  estate  to  which  to  take  her," 
I  cried,  "  if  I  have  no  income  by  which  to  support 
her,  remember,  madame,  that  it  is  from  choice,  not 
from  necessity !  " 

I  could  have  bit  my  tongue  the  moment  the 
words  were  out.  Her  anger  had  carried  her  fur 
ther  than  she  intended  going,  but  for  my  ungener 
ous  retort  there  was  no  excuse. 

"  Am  I  to  understand  this  is  a  threat  ?  "  she 
asked,  very  pale,  but  quite  composed. 

"  No,  it  is  not  a  threat,"  I  answered.     "  The 


156  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

words  were  spoken  in  anger,  and  I  am  sorry  for 
them.  I  have  already  told  you  my  intentions  in 
that  matter,  and  have  no  purpose  to  change  my 
mind.  I  will  win  myself  a  name  and  an  estate, 
and  then  I  will  come  back  and  claim  your  daugh 
ter.  We  shall  soon  both  be  of  age." 

She  laughed  bitterly. 

"  Until  that  day,  then,  Mr.  Stewart,"  she  said, 
"  I  must  ask  you  to  have  no  further  intercourse 
with  her.  Perhaps  at  Williamsburg  you  will  find 
a  more  congenial  lodging  while  you  are  making 
your  fortune." 

My  blood  rushed  to  my  face  at  the  insult,  and 
I  could  not  trust  myself  to  answer. 

"  Come,  Dorothy,"  she  continued,  "  you  will  go 
to  your  room,"  and  she  pushed  her  on  before 
her. 

I  watchejl  them  until  they  turned  into  the  other 
corridor,  and  then  went  slowly  down  the  stairs. 
As  I  emerged  upon  the  walk  before  the  house,  I 
saw  a  negro  riding  up,  whom  I  recognized  as  one 
of  Colonel  Washington's  servants.  Some  message 
for  Dorothy  from  Betty  Washington,  no  doubt, 
and  I  turned  moodily  back  toward  the  stables  to 
get  out  my  horse,  for  I  was  determined  to  leave  the 
place  without  delay.  But  I  was  arrested  by  the 
negro  calling  to  me. 

"  What  is  it,  Sam  ?  "  I  asked,  as  he  cantered  up 
beside  me. 

"  Lettah  f'um  Kuhnal  Washin'ton,  sah,"  he  said, 
and  handed  me  the  missive. 

I  tore  it  open  with  a  trembling  hand. 


DOROTHY  MAKES   HER   CHOICE  157 

DEAR  TOM  [it  ran],  —  I  have  procured  you  an 
appointment  as  lieutenant  in  Captain  Waggoner's 
company  of  Virginia  troops,  which  are  to  make 
the  campaign  with  General  Braddock.  They  are 
now  in  barracks  at  Winchester,  where  you  will 
join  them  as  soon  as  possible. 

Your  friend,  G.  WASHINGTON. 

"  Sam,"  I  said,  "  go  back  to  the  kitchen  and 
tell  Sukey  to  fill  you  up  on  the  best  she  's  got," 
and  I  turned  and  ran  into  the  house.  I  tapped  at 
the  door  of  my  aunt's  room,  and  her  voice  bade 
me  enter. 

"  I  have  just  received  a  note  from  Colonel  Wash 
ington,"  I  said,  "  in  which  he  tells  me  that  he  has 
secured  me  a  commission  as  lieutenant  for  the 
campaign,  so  I  will  not  need  to  trespass  on  your 
hospitality  longer  than  to-morrow  morning." 

There  was  a  queer  gleam  in  her  eyes,  which  I 
thought  I  could  read  aright. 

"  Yes,  there  are  many  chances  in  war,"  I  said 
bitterly,  "  and  I  am  as  like  as  another  to  fall." 

"  I  am  not  quite  so  bloodthirsty  as  you  seem 
to  think,"  she  answered  coldly,  "  and  perhaps  a 
moment  ago  I  spoke  more  harshly  than  I  intended. 
Everything  you  need  for  the  journey  you  will 
please  ask  for.  I  wish  you  every  success." 

"  Thank  you,"  I  said,  and  left  the  room.  My 
pack  was  soon  made,  for  I  had  seen  enough  of 
frontier  fighting  to  know  no  extra  baggage  would 
be  permitted,  and  then  I  roamed  up  and  down  the 
house  in  hope  of  seeing  Dorothy.  But  she  was 


158  A  SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

nowhere  visible,  and  at  last  I  gave  up  the  search 
and  went  to  bed. 

I  was  up  long  before  daylight,  donned  my  old 
uniform,  saw  my  horse  fed  and  saddled,  ate  my 
breakfast,  and  was  ready  to  go.  I  took  a  last  look 
around  my  room,  picked  up  my  pack,  and  started 
down  the  stairs. 

"  Tom,"  whispered  a  voice  above  me,  and  I 
looked  up  and  saw  her.  "  Quick,  quick,"  she  whis 
pered,  "  say  good-by." 

"  Oh,  my  love  !  "  I  cried,  and  I  drew  her  lips 
down  to  mine. 

"  And  you  will  not  forget  me,  Tom  ?  "  she  said. 
"  I  shall  pray  for  you  every  night  and  morning 
till  you  come  back  to  me.  Good-by." 

"  Forget  you,  Dolly  ?  Nay,  that  will  never  be." 
And  as  I  rode  away  through  the  bleak,  gray  morn 
ing,  the  mist  rolling  up  from  hill  and  river  dis 
closed  a  world  of  wondrous  fairness. 

Which  brings  me  back  again  to  the  camp  at 
Winchester,  —  but  what  a  journey  it  has  been ! 
As  I  look  back,  nothing  strikes  me  so  greatly  as 
the  length  of  the  way  by  which  I  have  come.  I 
had  thought  that  some  dozen  pages  at  the  most 
would  suffice  for  my  introduction,  but  memory 
has  led  my  pen  along  many  a  by-path,  and  paused 
beside  a  score  of  half -forgotten  landmarks.  Well, 
as  it  was  written,  so  let  it  stand,  for  my  heart  is 
in  it. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

LIEUTENANT   ALLEN    SHOWS   HIS    SKILL 

THE  days  dragged  on  at  Winchester,  as  days  in 
camp  will,  and  I  accepted  no  more  invitations  to 
mess  with  the  officers  of  the  line.  Indeed,  I  re 
ceived  none,  and  we  provincial  officers  kept  to  our 
selves.  Major  Washington  had  returned  to  Mount 
Vernon,  but  I  found  many  of  my  old  friends  with 
the  troops,  so  had  no  lack  of  company.  There  was 
Captain  Waggoner,  who  had  got  his  promotion 
eight  months  before,  and  Peyronie,  recovered  of 
his  wound  and  eager  for  another  bout  with  the 
French.  He  also  had  been  promoted  for  his  gal 
lantry,  and  now  had  his  own  company  of  rangers. 
There  was  Captain  Poison,  for  whom  a  tragic  fate 
was  waiting,  and  my  old  captain,  Adam  Stephen. 
And  there  was  Carolus  Spiltdorph,  advanced  to  a 
lieutenancy  like  myself,  and  by  great  good  fortune 
in  my  company.  We  began  to  chum  together  at 
once,  —  sharing  our  blankets  and  tobacco,  —  and 
continued  so  until  the  end. 

Another  friend  I  also  found  in  young  Harry 
Marsh,  a  son  of  Colonel  Henry  Marsh,  who  owned 
a  plantation  some  eight  or  ten  miles  above  the 
Frederick  ferry,  and  a  cousin  of  my  aunt.  Colonel 
Marsh  had  stopped  one  day  at  Riverview,  while  on 


160  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

his  way  home  from  Hampton,  and  had  made  us 
all  promise  to  return  his  visit,  but  so  many  affairs 
had  intervened  that  the  promise  had  never  been 
kept.  The  boy,  who  was  scarce  nineteen,  had 
secured  a  berth  as  ensign  in  Peyronie's  company, 
and  he  came  frequently  with  his  captain  to  our 
quarters  to  listen  with  all  his  ears  to  our  stories  of 
the  Fort  Necessity  affair.  He  was  a  fresh,  whole 
hearted  fellow,  and  though  he  persisted  in  consid 
ering  us  all  as  little  less  than  heroes,  was  himself 
heroic  as  any,  as  I  was  in  the  end  to  learn.  We 
were  a  hearty  and  good-tempered  company,  and 
spent  our  evenings  together  most  agreeably,  dis 
cussing  the  campaign  and  the  various  small  hap 
penings  of  the  camp.  But  as  Spiltdorph  shrewdly 
remarked,  we  were  none  of  us  so  sanguinary  as  we 
had  been  a  year  before.  I  have  since  observed 
that  the  more  a  man  sees  of  war,  the  less  his  eager 
ness  for  blood. 

From  Lieutenant  Allen  I  kept  aloof  as  much  as 
possible,  and  he  on  his  part  took  no  notice  what 
ever  of  me.  Some  rumor  of  my  affair  with  him 
had  got  about  the  camp,  but  as  neither  of  us  would 
say  a  word  concerning  it,  it  was  soon  forgot  in  the 
press  of  greater  matters.  Whatever  Allen's  per 
sonal  character  may  have  been,  it  is  not  to  be 
denied  that  he  labored  with  us  faithfully,  though 
profanely,  drilling  us  up  and  down  the  camp  till 
we  were  near  fainting  in  the  broiling  sun,  or  exer 
cising  us  in  arms  for  hours  together,  putting  us 
through  the  same  movement  a  hundred  times,  till 
we  had  done  it  to  his  satisfaction.  We  grumbled 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   SHOWS   HIS   SKILL     161 

of  course,  among  ourselves,  but  at  the  end  of  an 
other  fortnight  the  result  of  his  work  began  to  be 
apparent,  and  Sir  Peter  Halket,  when  he  inspected 
us  just  before  starting  for  Fort  Cumberland,  as 
the  fortification  at  Will's  Creek  was  named,  ex 
pressed  himself  well  pleased  with  the  progress  we 
had  made. 

For  the  order  to  advance  came  at  last,  and  after 
a  two  weeks'  weary  journey  along  the  road  which 
had  been  widened  for  the  passage  of  wagons  and 
artillery,  we  reached  our  destination  and  went  into 
quarters  there.  The  barracks  were  much  better 
appointed  than  were  the  ones  at  Winchester,  for 
this  was  to  be  the  rendezvous  of  the  entire  force, 
and  the  independent  companies  which  Colonel 
Washington  had  stationed  here  the  previous  sum 
mer  had  been  at  work  all  winter  clearing  the 
ground  and  building  the  fort.  They  had  cleared 
a  wide  space  in  the  forest,  and  on  a  little  hill  some 
two  hundred  yards  from  Will's  Creek  and  four 
hundred  from  the  Potomac,  had  erected  the  stock 
ade.  It  was  near  two  hundred  yards  in  length 
from  east  to  west,  and  some  fifty  in  width,  but 
rude  enough,  consisting  merely  of  a  row  of  logs 
set  upright  in  the  ground  and  projecting  some 
twelve  feet  above  it,  loopholed,  and  sharpened  at 
the  top.  There  were  embrasures  for  twelve  can 
non,  ten  of  which,  all  four-pounders,  were  already 
mounted.  Though  frail  as  it  could  well  be,  it  was 
deemed  sufficient  to  withstand  any  attack  likely  to 
be  brought  against  it.  A  great  two-storied  bar 
rack  for  the  officers  of  the  line  had  been  erected 


162  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

/ 

within  the  stockade,  and  two  magazines  of  heavy 
timber.  The  men  were  camped  about  the  fort,  and 
half  a  mile  away  through  the  forest  a  hundred 
Indians  had  pitched  their  wigwams.  And  here, 
on  the  tenth  of  May,  came  the  Forty-Eighth  under 
Colonel  Dunbar,  and  General  Braddock  himself  in 
his  great  traveling  chariot,  his  staff  riding  behind 
and  a  body  of  light  horse  on  either  side.  We 
were  paraded  to  welcome  him,  the  drums  rolled 
out  the  grenadiers,  the  seventeen  guns  prescribed 
by  the  regulations  were  fired,  and  the  campaign 
was  on  in  earnest. 

The  morning  of  the  next  day,  the  general  held 
his  first  levee  in  his  tent,  and  all  the  officers  called 
to  pay  their  respects.  He  was  a  heavy-set,  red- 
faced  man  of  some  sixty  years,  with  long,  straight 
nose,  aggressive,  pointed  chin,  and  firm-set  lips, 
and  though  he  greeted  us  civilly  enough,  there  was 
a  touch  of  insolence  in  his  manner  which  he  made 
small  effort  to  conceal,  and  which  showed  that  it 
was  not  upon  the  Virginia  troops  he  placed  reli 
ance.  Still,  there  was  that  in  his  heavy-featured 
face  and  in  his  bearing  which  bespoke  the  soldier, 
and  I  remembered  Fontenoy  and  the  record  he 
had  made  there.  In  the  afternoon,  there  was  a 
general  review,  and  he  rode  up  and  down  with  his 
staff  in  front  of  the  whole  force,  most  gorgeous 
in  gold  lace  and  brilliant  accoutrement.  Of  the 
twenty-two  hundred  men  he  looked  at  that  day, 
the  nine  Virginia  companies  found  least  favor  in 
his  eyes,  for  he  deemed  them  listless  and  mean- 
spirited,  —  an  opinion  which  he  was  at  no  pains  to 


LIEUTENANT   ALLEN   SHOWS   HIS  SKILL     163 

keep  to  himself,  and  which  had  the  effect  of  mak 
ing  the  bearing  of  his  officers  toward  us  even  more 
insulting. 

As  we  were  drawn  up  there  in  line,  the  orders 
for  the  camp  were  published,  the  articles  of  war 
were  read  to  us,  and  in  the  days  that  followed 
there  was  great  show  of  discipline.  But  it  was 
only  show,  for  there  was  little  real  order,  and  even 
here  on  the  edge  of  the  settlements,  the  food  was 
so  bad  and  so  scarce  that  foraging  parties  were 
sent  to  the  neighboring  plantations  to  seize  what 
they  could  find,  and  a  general  market  established 
in  the  camp.  To  encourage  the  people  to  bring  in 
provisions,  the  price  was  raised  a  penny  a  pound, 
and  any  person  who  ventured  to  interfere  with  one 
bringing  provisions,  or  offered  to  buy  of  him  before 
he  reached  the  public  market,  was  to  suffer  death. 
These  regulations  produced  some  supplies,  though 
very  little  when  compared  to  our  great  needs. 

A  thing  which  encouraged  me  greatly  to  be 
lieve  in  the  sagacity  of  our  commander  was  the 
pains  he  took  to  engage  the  good  offices  of  the  In 
dians,  —  such  of  them,  that  is,  as  had  not  already 
been  hopelessly  estranged  by  the  outrages  com 
mitted  upon  them  by  traders  and  frontiersmen. 
Mr.  Croghan,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  traders, 
had  brought  some  fifty  warriors  to  the  camp,  to 
gether  with  their  women  and  children,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  twelfth,  a  congress  was  held  at  the 
general's  tent  to  receive  them.  All  the  officers 
were  there,  and  when  the  Indians  were  brought, 
the  guard  received  them  with  firelocks  rested. 


164  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

There  was  great  powwowing  and  smoking  the 
pipe,  and  the  general  gave  them  a  belt  of  wam 
pum  and  many  presents,  and  urged  them  to  take 
up  the  hatchet  against  the  French.  This  they 
agreed  to  do,  and  doubtless  would  have  done,  but 
for  the  conduct  of  some  of  the  officers  of  the  line. 
The  Indian  camp,  with  its  bark  wigwams  and 
tall  totem  pole,  had  become  a  great  place  of  resort 
with  certain  of  the  officers.  They  had  been  at 
tracted  first  by  the  dancing  and  queer  customs  of 
the  savages,  and  had  they  come  away  when  once 
their  curiosity  was  satisfied,  little  harm  had  been 
done.  Unfortunately,  after  looking  at  the  men 
they  looked  at  the  women,  and  found  some  of  them 
not  unattractive.  So,  for  want  of  something  bet 
ter  to  do,  they  set  about  debauching  them,  and 
succeeded  so  well  that  the  warriors  finally  took 
their  women  away  from  the  camp  in  disgust,  and 
never  again  came  near  it.  Other  Indians  appeared 
from  time  to  time,  but  after  begging  all  the  rum 
and  presents  they  could  get,  they  left  the  camp 
and  we  never  saw  them  again.  Many  of  them 
were  Delawares,  doubtless  sent  as  spies  by  the 
French.  Another  visitor  was  Captain  Jack,  the 
Black  Rifle,  known  and  feared  by  the  Indians 
the  whole  length  of  the  frontier.  He  had  sworn 
undying  vengeance  against  them,  having  come 
home  to  his  cabin  one  night  to  find  his  wife  and 
children  butchered,  and  had  roamed  from  the 
Carolinas  to  the  Saint  Lawrence,  leaving  a  trail 
of  Indian  blood  behind  him.  He  would  have 
made  a  most  useful  ally,  but  he  took  offense  at 


LIEUTENANT   ALLEN   SHOWS   HIS  SKILL    165 

some  fancied  slight,  and  one  day  abruptly  disap 
peared  in  the  forest. 

Never  during  all  these  weeks  did  the  regulars 
get  over  their  astonishment  at  sight  of  the  tall 
warriors  stalking  through  the  camp,  painted  in  red, 
yellow,  and  black,  and  greased  from  head  to  foot, 
their  ears  slit,  their  heads  shaved  save  for  the  scalp- 
lock  with  its  tuft  of  feathers ;  nor  did  they  cease 
to  wonder  at  their  skill  in  throwing  the  tomahawk 
and  shooting  with  the  rifle,  a  skill  of  which  we 
were  to  have  abundant  proof  erelong. 

It  was  not  until  four  or  five  days  after  his  arrival 
with  General  Braddock  that  I  had  opportunity 
to  see  Colonel  Washington.  I  met  him  one  even 
ing  as  1  was  returning  from  guard  duty,  and  I 
found  him  looking  so  pale  and  dispirited  that  I 
was  startled. 

"  You  are  not  ill  ? "  I  cried,  as  I  grasped  his 
hand. 

"  111  rather  in  spirit  than  in  body,  Tom,"  he 
answered,  with  a  smile.  "  Life  in  the  general's 
tent  is  not  a  happy  one.  He  has  met  with  nothing 
but  vexation,  worry,  and  delay  since  he  has  been  in 
the  colony,  and  I  believe  he  looks  upon  the  country 
as  void  of  honor  and  honesty.  I  try  to  show  him 
that  he  has  seen  only  the  darker  side,  and  we 
have  frequent  disputes,  which  sometimes  wax  very 
warm,  for  he  is  incapable  of  arguing  without  grow 
ing  angry.  Not  that  I  blame  him  greatly,"  he 
added,  with  a  sigh,  "  for  the  way  the  colonies  have 
acted  in  this  matter  is  inexcusable.  Wagons, 
horses,  and  provisions  which  were  promised  us  are 


166  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

not  forthcoming,  and  without  them  we  are  stalled 
here  beyond  hope  of  advance." 

He  passed  his  hand  wearily  before  his  eyes,  and 
we  walked  some  time  in  silence. 

"  'T  is  this  delay  which  is  ruining  our  great 
chance  of  success,"  he  continued  at  last.  "  Could 
we  have  reached  the  fort  before  the  French  could 
reinforce  it,  the  garrison  must  have  deserted  it  or 
surrendered  to  us.  But  now  they  will  have  time 
to  send  whatever  force  they  wish  into  the  Ohio 
valley,  and  rouse  all  the  Indian  tribes  for  a  hun 
dred  miles  around.  For  with  the  Indians,  the 
French  have  played  a  wiser  part  than  the  English, 
Tom,  and  have  kept  them  ever  their  friends,  while 
to-day  we  have  not  an  Indian  in  the  camp." 

"  They  will  return,"  I  said.  "  They  have  all  pro 
mised  to  return." 

Washington  shook  his  head. 

"  They  will  not  return.  Gist  knows  the  Indians 
as  few  other  white  men  do,  and  he  assures  me  that 
they  will  not  return." 

"Well,"  I  retorted  hotly,  "  Indians  or  no  Indi 
ans,  the  French  cannot  hope  to  resist  successfully 
an  army  such  as  ours." 

For  a  moment  Washington  said  nothing. 

"  You  must  not  think  me  a  croaker,  Tom,"  and 
he  smiled  down  at  me  again,  "  but  indeed  I  see 
many  chances  of  failure.  Even  should  we  reach 
Fort  Duquesne  in  safety,  we  will  scarce  be  in 
condition  to  besiege  it,  unless  the  advance  is  con 
ducted  with  rare  skill  and  foresight." 

I  had  nothing  to  say  in  answer,  for  in  truth  I 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   SHOWS  HIS   SKILL     167 

believed  he  was  looking  too  much  on  the  dark 
side,  and  yet  did  not  like  to  tell  him  so. 

"  How  do  you  find  the  general  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  A  proud,  obstinate,  brave  man,"  he  said,  "  who 
knows  the  science  of  war,  perhaps,  but  who  is  ill 
fitted  to  cope  with  the  difficulties  he  has  met  here 
and  has  still  to  meet.  His  great  needs  are  patience 
and  diplomacy  and  a  knowledge  of  Indian  warfare. 
I  would  he  had  been  with  us  last  year  behind  the 
walls  of  Fort  Necessity." 

"  He  has  good  advisers,"  I  suggested.  "  Surely 
you  can  tell  him  what  occurred  that  day." 

But  again  Washington  shook  his  head. 

"My  advice,  such  as  I  have  ventured  to  give 
him,  has  been  mostly  thrown  away.  But  his  two 
other  aides  are  good  men,  —  Captain  Orme  and 
Captain  Morris,  — and  may  yet  bring  him  to  reason. 
The  general's  secretary,  Mr.  Shirley,  is  also  an 
able  man,  but  knows  nothing  of  war.  Indeed,  he 
accepted  the  position  to  learn  something  of  the 
art,  but  I  fancy  is  disgusted  with  what  knowledge 
he  has  already  gained.  As  to  the  other  officers, 
there  is  little  to  say.  Some  are  capable,  but  most 
are  merely  insolent  and  ignorant,  and  all  of  them 
aim  rather  at  displaying  their  own  abilities  than 
strengthening  the  hands  of  the  general.  In  fact, 
Tom,  I  have  regretted  a  score  of  times  that  I  ever 
consented  to  make  the  campaign." 

"  But  if  you  had  not,  where  should  I  have  been  ?  " 
I  protested. 

"At  least,  you  had  been  in  no  danger  from 
Lieutenant  Allen's  sword,"  he  laughed.  "  I  have 


168  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

heard  many  stories  of  his  skill  since  I  have  been 
in  camp,  and  perhaps  it  is  as  well  he  was  in  wine 
that  night,  and  so  not  at  his  best.  How  has  he 
used  you  since  ?  " 

"  Why,  in  truth,"  I  said,  somewhat  nettled  at 
his  reference  to  Allen's  skill,  "  he  has  not  so  much 
as  shown  that  he  remembers  me.  But  I  shall  re 
mind  him  of  our  engagement  once  the  campaign  is 
ended,  and  shall  ask  my  second  to  call  upon  him." 

Washington  laughed  again,  and  I  was  glad  to 
see  that  I  had  taken  his  mind  off  his  own  affairs. 

"I  shall  be  at  your  service  then,  Tom,"  he 
said.  "  Remember,  he  is  one  of  the  best  swords 
men  in  the  army,  and  you  will  do  well  to  keep  in 
practice.  Do  not  grow  over-confident ;  "  and  he 
bade  me  good-by  and  turned  back  to  the  general's 
quarters. 

I  thought  his  advice  well  given,  and  the  very 
next  day,  to  my  great  delight,  found  in  Captain 
Poison's  company  John  Langlade,  the  man  of  whom 
I  had  taken  a  dozen  lessons  at  Williamsburg.  He 
was  very  ready  to  accept  the  chance  to  add  a  few 
shillings  to  his  pay,  so  for  an  hour  every  morning 
we  exercised  in  a  little  open  space  behind  the  stock 
ade.  I  soon  found  with  great  satisfaction  that  I 
could  hold  my  own  against  him,  though  he  was  ac 
counted  a  good  swordsman,  and  he  complimented 
me  more  than  once  on  my  strength  of  wrist  and 
quickness  of  eye. 

We  were  hard  at  it  one  morning,  when  I  heard 
some  one  approaching,  and,  glancing  around,  saw 
that  it  was  Lieutenant  Allen.  I  flushed  crimson 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN   SHOWS   HIS   SKILL    169 

with  chagrin,  for  that  he  guessed  the  reason  of  my 
diligence  with  the  foils,  I  could  not  doubt.  But  I 
continued  my  play  as  though  I  had  not  seen  him, 
and  for  some  time  he  stood  watching  us  with  a 
dry  smile. 

"  Very  pretty,"  he  said  at  last,  as  we  stopped  to 
breathe.  "  If  all  the  Virginia  troops  would  spend 
their  mornings  to  such  advantage,  I  should  soon 
make  soldiers  of  them  despite  themselves.  Rapier 
play  is  most  useful  when  one  is  going  to  fight  the 
French,  who  are  masters  at  it.  I  fear  my  own  arm 
is  growing  rusty,"  he  added  carelessly.  "  Lend 
me  your  foil  a  moment,  Lieutenant  Stewart." 

I  handed  it  to  him  without  a  word,  wondering 
what  the  man  would  be  at.  He  took  it  nonchalantly, 
tested  it,  and  turned  to  Langlade. 

"  Will  you  cross  with  me  ?  "  he  said,  and  as 
Langlade  nodded,  he  saluted  and  they  engaged. 
Almost  before  the  ring  of  the  first  parade  had  died 
away,  Langlade's  foil  was  flying  through  the  air, 
and  Allen  was  smiling  blandly  into  his  astonished 
face. 

"  An  accident,  I  do  not  doubt,"  he  said  coolly. 
"  Such  accidents  will  happen  sometimes.  Will 
you  try  again  ?  " 

Langlade  pressed  his  lips  together,  and  without 
replying,  picked  up  his  foil.  I  saw  him  measure 
Allen  with  his  eye,  and  then  they  engaged  a  second 
time.  For  a  few  moments,  Allen  contented  him 
self  with  standing  on  the  defensive,  parrying 
Langlade's  savage  thrusts  with  a  coolness  which 
nothing  could  shake  and  an  art  that  was  consum- 


170  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

mate.  Then  he  bent  to  the  attack,  and  touched 
his  adversary  on  breast  and  arm  and  thigh,  his 
point  reaching  its  mark  with  ease  and  seeming 
slowness. 

"  Really,  I  must  go,"  he  said  at  length.  "  The 
bout  has  done  me  a  world  of  good.  I  trust  you 
will  profit  by  the  lesson,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  and 
he  handed  me  back  my  foil,  smiled  full  into  my 
eyes,  and  walked  away. 

We  both  stared  after  him,  until  he  turned  the 
corner  and  was  out  of  sight. 

"  He  's  the  devil  himself,"  gasped  Langlade,  as 
our  eyes  met.  "  I  have  never  felt  such  a  wrist. 
Did  you  see  how  he  disarmed  me  ?  'T  was  no  acci 
dent.  My  fingers  would  have  broken  in  an  instant 
more,  had  I  not  let  go  the  foil.  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  Lieutenant  Allen,  of  the  Forty-Fourth,"  I  an 
swered  as  carelessly  as  I  could. 

Langlade  fell  silent  a  moment. 

"  I  have  heard  of  him,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I  do 
not  wonder  he  disarmed  me.  'T  was  he  who  met 
the  Comte  d'Artois,  the  finest  swordsman  in  the 
French  Guards,  in  a  little  wood  on  the  border  of 
Holland,  one  morning,  over  some  affair  of  honor. 
They  had  agreed  that  it  should  be  to  the  death." 

"  And  what  was  the  result  ?  "  I  questioned,  look 
ing  out  over  the  camp  as  though  little  interested  in 
the  answer. 

"Can  you  doubt?"  asked  Langlade.  "Allen 
returned  to  England  without  a  scratch,  and  his 
opponent  was  carried  back  to  Paris  with  a  sword- 
thrust  through  his  heart,  and  buried  beside  his 


LIEUTENANT  ALLEN  SHOWS   HIS   SKILL     171 

royal  relatives  at  Saint  Denis.  I  pity  any  man 
who  is  called  upon  to  face  him.  He  has  need  to 
be  a  master." 

I  nodded  gloomily,  put  up  the  foils,  and  returned 
to  my  quarters,  for  I  was  in  no  mood  for  further 
exercise  that  morning.  What  Allen  had  meant  by 
his  last  remark  I  could  not  doubt.  The  lesson  I 
was  to  profit  by  was  that  I  should  stand  no  chance 
against  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

I  CHANCE  UPON  A  TRAGEDY 

As  the  first  weeks  of  May  passed,  we  slowly  got 
into  shape  for  the  advance,  and  I  began  to  realize 
the  magnitude  of  the  task  before  us.  Our  march  to 
Great  Meadows  the  year  before,  arduous  as  it  had 
been,  was  mere  child's  play  to  this,  and  I  did  not 
wonder  that  on  every  hand  the  general  found  him 
self  confronting  obstacles  well-nigh  insurmount 
able.  And  each  day,  as  though  to  cover  other 
defects,  the  discipline  grew  more  exacting.  Arms 
were  constantly  inspected  and  overhauled ;  roll  was 
called  morning,  noon,  and  night ;  each  regiment 
attended  divine  service  around  the  colors  every 
Sabbath,  though  neither  officers  nor  men  got  much 
good  from  it  that  I  could  see ;  guard  mount  oc 
curred  each  morning  at  eight  o'clock ;  every  man 
was  supplied  with  twenty-four  rounds  and  extra 
flints,  and  also  a  new  shirt,  a  new  pair  of  stockings 
and  of  shoes,  and  Osnabrig  waistcoats  and  breeches, 
the  heat  making  the  others  insupportable,  and  with 
bladders  for  their  hats. 

On  the  sixteenth,  Colonel  Gage,  with  two  com 
panies  of  the  Forty-Fourth  and  the  last  division  of 
the  train,  toiled  into  camp,  very  weary  and  travel- 
stained,  and  on  this  day,  too,  was  the  first  death 


I  CHANCE   UPON   A   TRAGEDY  173 

among  the  officers,  Captain  Bromley,  of  Sir  Peter 
Halket's,  succumbing  to  dysentery.  Two  days 
later,  we  all  attended  his  funeral,  and  a  most  im 
pressive  sight  it  was.  A  captain's  guard  marched 
before  the  coffin,  their  firelocks  reversed,  and  the 
drums  beating  the  dead  march.  At  the  grave  the 
guard  formed  on  either  side,  and  the  coffin,  with 
sword  and  sash  upon  it,  was  carried  in  between  and 
lowered  into  place.  The  service  was  read  by 
Chaplain  Hughes,  of  the  Forty-Fourth,  the  guard 
fired  three  volleys  over  the  grave,  and  we  returned 
to  quarters. 

There  was  a  great  demonstration  next  day  to  im 
press  some  Indians  that  had  come  into  camp.  All 
the  guns  were  fired,  and  drums  and  fifes  were  set  to 
beating  and  playing  the  point-of-war,  and  then  four 
or  five  companies  of  regulars  were  put  through 
their  manoeuvres.  The  Indians  were  vastly  aston 
ished  at  seeing  them  move  together  as  one  man, 
and  even  to  us  provincials  it  was  a  thrilling  and 
impressive  sight.  And  on  the  twentieth  happened 
one  of  the  pleasantest  incidents  of  the  whole  cam 
paign. 

The  great  difficulty  which  confronted  our  com 
mander  from  the  first  was  the  lack  of  means  of 
transport.  Of  the  three  thousand  horses  and  three 
hundred  wagons  promised  from  the  colonies,  only 
two  hundred  horses  and  twenty  wagons  were  forth 
coming,  so  that  for  a  time  it  seemed  that  the  expe 
dition  must  be  abandoned.  Small  wonder  the 
general  raved  and  swore  at  provincial  perfidy  and 
turpitude,  the  more  so  when  it  was  discovered  that 


174  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

a  great  part  of  the  provision  furnished  for  the  army 
was  utterly  worthless,  and  the  two  hundred  horses 
scarce  able  to  stand  upon  their  feet. 

Let  me  say  here  that  I  believe  this  purblind 
policy  of  delaying  the  expedition  instead  of  freely 
aiding  it  had  much  to  do  with  the  result.  Virginia 
did  her  part  with  some  degree  of  willingness,  but 
Pennsylvania,  whence  the  general  expected  to  draw 
a  great  part  of  his  transport  and  provision,  would 
do  nothing.  The  Assembly  spent  its  time  bicker 
ing  with  the  governor,  and  when  asked  to  contrib 
ute  toward  its  own  defense,  made  the  astounding 
statement  that  "  they  had  rather  the  French  should 
conquer  them  than  give  up  their  privileges."  Some 
of  them  even  asserted  that  there  were  no  French, 
but  that  the  whole  affair  was  a  scheme  of  the  poli 
ticians,  and  acted,  to  use  Dinwiddie's  words,  as 
though  they  had  given  their  senses  a  long  holiday. 

Yet,  strangely  enough,  it  was  from  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian  that  aid  came  at  last,  for  just  when  matters 
were  at  their  worst  and  the  general  in  despair, 
there  came  to  his  quarters  at  Frederick  a  very 
famous  gentleman,  —  more  famous  still  in  the 
troublous  times  which  are  upon  us  now,  — Mr. 
Benjamin  Franklin,  of  Philadelphia,  director  of 
posts  in  the  colonies  and  sometime  printer  of  "  Poor 
Richard."  The  general  received  him  as  his  merit 
warranted,  and  explained  to  him  our  difficulties. 
Mr.  Franklin,  as  Colonel  Washington  told  me 
afterward,  listened  to  it  all  with  close  attention, 
putting  in  a  keen  question  now  and  then,  and  at 
the  end  said  he  believed  he  could  secure  us  horses 


I  CHANCE  UPON  A  TRAGEDY  175 

and  wagons  from  his  friends  among  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Dutch,  who  were  ever  ready  to  turn  an  hon 
est  penny.  So  he  wrote  them  a  diplomatic  letter, 
and  the  result  was  that,  beside  near  a  hundred  fur 
nished  earlier,  there  came  to  us  at  Cumberland  on 
the  twentieth  above  eighty  wagons,  each  with  four 
horses,  and  the  general  declared  Mr.  Franklin  the 
only  honest  man  he  had  met  in  America.  We,  too, 
had  cause  to  remember  him,  for  all  the  officers  were 
summoned  to  the  general's  tent,  and  there  was  dis 
tributed  to  each  of  us  a  package  containing  a  gener 
ous  supply  of  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  cheese, 
butter,  wine,  spirits,  hams,  tongues,  rice,  and  raisins, 
the  gift  of  Mr.  Franklin  and  the  Philadelphia 
Assembly. 

There  was  high  carnival  in  our  tent  that  night, 
as  you  may  well  believe.  We  were  all  there,  all 
who  had  been  present  at  Fort  Necessity,  and  not 
since  the  campaign  opened  had  we  sat  down  to  such 
a  feast.  And  when  the  plates  were  cleared  away 
and  only  the  pipes  and  wine  remained,  Peyronie 
sang  us  a  song  in  French,  and  Spiltdorph  one  in 
German,  and  Poison  one  in  Gaelic,  and  old  Christo 
pher  Gist,  who  stuck  in  his  head  to  see  what  was 
toward,  was  pressed  to  pay  for  his  entertainment  by 
giving  us  a  Cherokee  war-song,  which  he  did  with 
much  fire  and  spirit.  We  sat  long  into  the  night 
talking  of  the  past  and  of  the  future,  and  of  the 
great  things  we  were  going  to  accomplish.  Nor  did 
we  forget  to  draft  a  letter  of  most  hearty  thanks  to 
Mr.  Franklin,  which  was  sent  him,  together  with 
many  others,  among  them  one  from  Sir  Peter  Hal- 
ket  himself. 


176  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

The  arrival  of  the  wagons  had  done  much  to 
solve  the  problem  of  transport,  and  on  the  next 
day  preparations  for  the  advance  began  in  earnest. 
The  whole  force  of  carpenters  was  put  to  work 
building  a  bridge  across  the  creek,  the  smiths 
sharpened  the  axes,  and  the  bakers  baked  a  pro 
digious  number  of  little  biscuits  for  us  to  carry  on 
the  march.  Two  hundred  pioneers  were  sent  out 
to  cut  the  road,  and  from  one  end  of  the  camp  to 
the  other  was  the  stir  of  preparation. 

So  two  days  passed,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
twenty-fourth,  Spiltdorph  and  myself  crossed  the 
creek  on  the  bridge,  which  was  well-nigh  completed, 
and  walked  on  into  the  forest  to  see  what  progress 
the  pioneers  were  making.  We  each  took  a  firelock 
with  us  in  hope  of  knocking  over  some  game  for 
supper,  to  help  out  our  dwindling  larder.  We 
found  that  the  pioneers  had  cut  a  road  twelve  feet 
wide  some  two  miles  into  the  forest.  It  was  a  mere 
tunnel  between  the  trees,  whose  branches  over 
topped  it  with  a  roof  of  green,  but  it  had  been  lev 
eled  with  great  care,  —  more  care  than  I  thought 
necessary,  —  and  would  give  smooth  going  to  the 
wagons  and  artillery.  We  reached  the  end  of  the 
road,  where  the  axemen  were  laboring  faithfully, 
and  after  watching  them  for  a  time,  were  turning 
back  to  camp,  when  Spiltdorph  called  my  attention 
to  the  peculiar  appearance  of  the  ground  about  us. 
We  were  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of  chestnuts,  and 
the  leaves  beneath  them  for  rods  around  had  been 
turned  over  and  the  earth  freshly  raked  up. 

"  What  under  heaven  could  have  caused  that  ?  " 
asked  Spiltdorph. 


I  CHANCE   UPON  A   TRAGEDY  177 

"  Wild  turkeys,"  I  answered  quickly,  for  I  had 
often  seen  the  like  under  beeches  and  oaks  as  well 
as  chestnuts.  "  Come  on,"  I  added,  "  perhaps  they 
are  not  far  away." 

"  All  right,"  said  Spiltdorph,  "  a  wild  turkey 
would  go  exceeding  well  on  our  table ;  "  and  he  fol 
lowed  me  into  the  forest.  The  turkeys  had  evi 
dently  been  frightened  away  by  the  approach  of  the 
pioneers,  and  had  stopped  here  and  there  to  hunt 
for  food,  so  that  their  track  was  easily  followed.  I 
judged  they  could  not  be  far  away,  and  was  look 
ing  every  moment  to  see  their  blue  heads  bobbing 
about  among  the  underbrush,  when  I  heard  a  sharp 
fusilade  of  shots  ahead. 

"  Somebody  's  found  'em  !  "  I  cried.  "  Come 
on.  Perhaps  we  can  get  some  yet." 

We  tore  through  a  bit  of  marshy  ground,  up  a 
slight  hill,  and  came  suddenly  to  the  edge  of  a 
little  clearing.  One  glance  into  it  sent  me  head 
long  behind  a  bush,  and  I  tripped  up  Spiltdorph 
beside  me. 

"  Good  God,  man  !  "  he  cried,  but  I  had  my  hand 
over  his  mouth  before  he  could  say  more. 

"  Be  still,"  I  whispered  "  an  you  value  your  life. 
Look  over  there." 

He  peered  around  the  bush  and  saw  what  I  had 
seen,  a  dozen  Indians  in  full  war  paint  busily  en 
gaged  in  setting  fire  to  a  log  cabin  which  stood  in 
the  middle  of  the  clearing.  They  were  going 
about  the  task  in  unwonted  silence,  doubtless  be 
cause  of  the  nearness  of  our  troops,  and  a  half 
dozen  bodies,  two  of  women  and  four  of  children, 


178  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

scattered  on  the  ground  before  the  door,  showed 
how  completely  they  had  done  their  work.  Even 
as  we  looked,  two  of  them  picked  up  the  body  of 
one  of  the  women  and  threw  it  into  the  burning 
house. 

"  The  devils  !  "  groaned  Spiltdorph.  "  Oh,  the 
devils ! "  and  I  felt  my  own  blood  boiling  in  my 
veins. 

"  Come,  we  must  do  something !  "  I  said.  "  We 
can  kill  two  of  them  and  reload  and  kill  two  more 
before  they  can  reach  us.  They  will  not  dare  pur 
sue  us  far  toward  the  camp,  and  may  even  run  at 
the  first  fire." 

"  Good  !  "  said  Spiltdorph,  between  his  teeth. 
"  Pick  your  man  ;  "  but  before  I  could  reply  he  had 
jerked  his  musket  to  his  shoulder  with  a  cry  of  rage 
and  fired.  An  Indian  had  picked  up  one  of  the  chil 
dren,  which  must  have  been  only  wounded,  since 
it  was  crying  lustily,  and  was  just  about  to  pitch 
it  on  the  fire,  when  Spiltdorph' s  bullet  caught  him 
full  in  the  breast.  He  threw  up  his  hands  and 
fell  like  a  log,  the  child  under  him.  Quick  as  a 
flash,  I  fired  and  brought  down  another.  For  an 
instant  the  Indians  stood  dazed  at  the  suddenness 
of  the  attack,  and  then  with  a  yell  they  broke  for 
the  other  side  of  the  clearing.  Spiltdorph  would 
have  started  down  toward  the  house,  but  I  held 
him  back. 

"  Not  yet,"  I  said.  "  They  will  stop  so  soon  as 
they  get  to  cover.  Wait  a  bit." 

We  waited  for  half  an  hour,  watching  the 
smoke  curling  over  the  house,  and  then,  judging 


I  CHANCE   UPON  A  TRAGEDY  179 

that  the  Indians  had  made  off  for  fear  of  being 
ambushed,  we  crossed  the  clearing.  It  took  but  a 
glance  to  read  the  story.  The  women  had  been 
washing  by  the  little  brook  before  the  cabin,  with 
the  children  playing  about  them,  when  the  Indi 
ans  had  come  up  and  with  a  single  volley  killed 
them  all  except  the  child  we  had  heard  crying. 
They  had  swooped  down  upon  their  victims,  torn 
the  scalps  from  their  heads,  looted  the  house,  and 
set  fire  to  it.  We  dragged  out  the  body  of  the 
woman  which  had  been  thrown  within,  in  the  hope 
that  a  spark  of  life  might  yet  remain,  but  she  was 
quite  dead.  Beneath  the  warrior  Spiltdorph  had 
shot  we  found  the  child.  It  was  a  boy  of  some  six 
or  seven  years,  and  so  covered  with  blood  that  it 
seemed  it  must  be  dead.  But  we  stripped  it  and 
washed  it  in  the  brook,  and  found  no  wounds  upon 
it  except  in  the  head,  where  it  had  been  struck 
with  a  hatchet  before  its  scalp  had  been  stripped 
off.  The  cold  water  brought  it  back  to  life  and  it 
began  to  cry  again,  whereat  Spiltdorph  took  off  his 
coat  and  wrapped  it  tenderly  about  it. 

We  washed  the  blood  from  the  faces  of  the 
women  and  stood  for  a  long  time  looking  down  at 
them.  They  were  both  comely,  the  younger  just 
at  the  dawn  of  womanhood.  They  must  have  been 
talking  merrily  together,  for  their  faces  were  smil 
ing  as  they  had  been  in  life. 

As  I  stood  looking  so,  I  was  startled  by  a  kind 
of  dry  sobbing  at  my  elbow,  and  turned  with  a 
jerk  to  find  a  man  standing  there.  He  was  lean 
ing  on  his  rifle,  gazing  down  at  the  dead,  with  no 


180  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

sound  but  the  choking  in  his  throat.  A  brace  of 
turkeys  over  his  shoulder  showed  that  he  had  been 
hunting.  In  an  instant  I  understood.  It  was  the 
husband  and  father  come  home.  He  did  not 
move  as  I  looked  at  him  nor  raise  his  eyes,  but 
stood  transfixed  under  his  agony.  I  glanced 
across  at  Spiltdorph,  and  saw  that  his  eyes  were 
wet  and  his  lips  quivering.  I  did  not  venture  to 
speak,  but  my  friend,  who  was  ever  more  tactful 
than  I,  moved  to  the  man's  side  and  placed  his 
hand  gently  on  his  shoulder. 

"They  died  an  easy  death,"  he  said  softly. 
"  See,  they  are  still  smiling.  They  had  no  fear, 
no  agony.  They  were  dead  before  they  knew  that 
danger  threatened.  Let  us  thank  God  that  they 
suffered  no  worse." 

The  man  breathed  a  long  sigh  and  his  strength 
seemed  to  go  suddenly  from  him,  for  he  dropped 
his  rifle  and  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"  This  was  my  wife,"  he  whispered.  "  This 
was  my  sister.  These  were  my  children.  What 
is  there  left  on  earth  for  me  ?  " 

I  no  longer  sought  to  control  the  working  of  my 
face,  and  the  tears  were  streaming  down  Spilt- 
dorph's  cheeks.  Great,  gentle,  manly  heart,  how 
I  loved  you ! 

"Yes,  there  is  something  !  "  cried  the  man,  and 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  seized  his  gun.  "  There 
is  vengeance  !  Friends,  will  you  help  me  bury 
my  dead  ?  " 

"Yes,  we  will  help,"  I  said.  He  brought  a 
spade  and  hoe  from  a  little  hut  near  the  stream, 


I   CHANCE   UPON  A  TRAGEDY  181 

and  we  dug  a  broad  and  shallow  trench  and  laid 
the  bodies  in  it. 

"  There  is  one  missing,"  said  the  man,  looking 
about  him.  "  Where  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is  here,"  said  Spiltdorph,  opening  his  coat. 
"  He  is  not  dead.  He  may  yet  live." 

The  father  looked  at  the  boy  a  moment,  then 
fell  on  his  knees  and  kissed  him. 

"  Thank  God  !  "  he  cried,  and  the  tears  burst 
forth.  We  waited  in  silence  until  the  storm  of 
grief  was  past.  At  last  he  wrapped  the  coat  about 
the  child  again,  and  came  to  us  where  we  stood 
beside  the  grave. 

"  Friends,"  he  said,  "  does  either  of  you  know 
the  burial  service  ?  These  were  virtuous  and 
Christian  women,  and  would  wish  a  Christian 
burial." 

Spiltdorph  sadly  shook  his  head,  and  the  man 
turned  to  me.  Could  I  do  it  ?  I  trembled  at  the 
thought.  Yet  how  could  I  refuse  ? 

"  I  know  the  service,"  I  said,  and  took  my  place 
at  the  head  of  the  grave. 

The  mists  of  evening  were  stealing  up  from  the 
forest  about  us,  and  there  was  no  sound  save  the 
plashing  of  the  brook  over  the  stones  at  our  feet. 
Then  it  all  faded  from  before  me  and  I  was  stand 
ing  again  in  a  willow  grove  with  an  open  grave 
afar  off. 

"  '  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  saith  the 
Lord.'  "  It  was  not  my  voice,  but  another  ringing 
up  to  heaven  from  beside  me.  And  the  voice 
kept  on  and  on  until  the  last  amen. 


182  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

We  filled  in  the  shallow  grave  and  covered  it 
with  logs  and  rocks.  Night  was  at  hand  before 
we  finished. 

"  You  must  come  with  us,"  said  Spiltdorph  to 
the  stranger.  "The  doctor  at  the  fort  will  do 
what  he  can  for  the  child.  If  you  still  think  of 
vengeance,  you  can  march  with  us  against  the 
Indians  and  the  French  who  set  them  on." 

He  made  a  gesture  of  assent,  and  we  set  off 
through  the  forest. 

"  Stewart,"  asked  Spiltdorph,  in  a  low  voice, 
after  we  had  walked  some  time  in  silence,  "  how 
does  it  happen  you  knew  the  burial  service  ?  " 

"  I  have  read  it  many  times  in  the  prayer-book," 
I  answered  simply.  "  Moreover,  I  heard  it  one 
morning  beside  my  mother's  grave,  and  again  be 
side  my  grandfather's.  I  am  not  like  to  forget  it." 

He  walked  on  for  a  moment,  and  then  came 
close  to  me  and  caught  my  hand  in  his. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  said  softly.  "  You  have  done 
a  good  and  generous  thing.  I  can  judge  how 
much  it  cost  you,"  and  we  said  no  more  until  we 
reached  the  fort. 

The  news  that  the  Indians  had  pushed  hostil 
ities  so  near  the  camp  created  no  little  uproar,  and 
a  party  was  sent  out  at  daybreak  to  scour  the 
woods  and  endeavor  to  teach  the  marauders  a  les 
son,  but  they  returned  toward  evening  without 
discovering  a  trace  of  them,  and  it  was  believed 
they  had  made  off  to  Fort  Duquesne.  The  In 
dians  whom  we  had  killed  were  recognized  as 
two  of  a  party  of  Delawares  who  had  been  in 


I   CHANCE   UPON  A  TRAGEDY  183 

camp  a  few  days  before,  and  who,  it  was  now  cer 
tain,  had  been  sent  as  spies  by  the  French  and 
to  do  us  what  harm  they  could.  Wherefore  it 
was  ordered  that  no  more  Delawares  should  be 
suffered  to  enter  the  camp. 

We  turned  the  child  over  to  Doctor  Craik, 
and  took  the  man,  whose  name,  it  seemed,  was 
Nicholas  Stith,  to  our  tent  with  us.  where  we  gave 
him  meat  and  drink,  and  did  what  we  could  to  take 
his  mind  from  his  misfortune.  He  remained  with 
us  some  days,  until  his  child  died,  as  it  did  at  last, 
and  then,  finding  our  advance  too  slow  to  keep  pace 
with  his  passion  for  revenge,  secured  a  store  of 
ball  and  powder  from  the  magazine,  slung  his  rifle 
across  his  back,  and  disappeared  into  the  forest. 

In  the  mean  time  our  preparations  had  been 
hurried  on  apace.  It  was  no  light  task  to  cut  a 
road  through  near  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of 
virgin  forest,  over  two  great  mountain  ranges  and 
across  innumerable  streams,  nor  was  it  lightly 
undertaken.  Captain  Waggoner  brought  with  him 
to  table  one  night  a  copy  of  the  orders  for  the 
march  and  for  encampment,  which  were  adhered  to 
with  few  changes  during  the  whole  advance,  and 
we  discussed  them  thoroughly  when  the  meal  was 
finished,  nor  could  we  discover  in  them  much  to 
criticise. 

It  was  ordered  that,  to  protect  the  baggage  from 
Indian  surprise  and  insult,  scouting  parties  were 
to  be  thrown  well  out  upon  the  flanks  and  in  front 
and  rear,  and  every  commanding  officer  of  a  com 
pany  was  directed  to  detach  always  upon  his  flanks 


184  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

a  third  of  his  men  under  command  of  a  sergeant, 
the  sergeant  in  turn  to  detach  upon  his  flanks 
a  third  of  his  men  under  command  of  a  corporal, 
these  outparties  to  be  relieved  every  night  at 
retreat  beating,  and  to  form  the  advanced  pickets. 
The  wagons,  artillery,  and  pack-horses  were  formed 
into  three  divisions,  and  the  provisions  so  distrib 
uted  that  each  division  was  k>  be  victualed  from 
the  part  of  the  line  it  covered,  and  a  commissary 
was  appointed  for  each.  The  companies  were  to 
march  two  deep,  that  they  might  cover  the  line 
more  effectively.  Sir  Peter  Halket  was  to  lead  the 
column  and  Colonel  Dunbar  bring  up  the  rear. 
An  advance  party  of  three  hundred  men  was  to 
precede  the  column  and  clear  the  road. 

The  form  of  encampment  differed  little  from 
that  of  march.  The  wagons  were  to  be  drawn 
up  in  close  order,  the  companies  to  face  out,  the 
flanking  parties  to  clear  away  the  underbrush  and 
saplings,  half  the  company  remaining  under  arms 
the  while,  and  finally  a  chain  of  sentries  was  to 
be  posted  round  the  camp.  Sir  Peter  Halket, 
with  the  Forty-Fourth,  was  to  march  with  the  first 
division  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burton  with  the  inde 
pendent  companies,  provincials,  and  artillery,  was 
to  form  the  second ;  and  Colonel  Dunbar,  with 
the  Forty-Eighth,  the  third. 

I  confess  that  when  I  had  become  acquainted 
with  these  orders,  they  seemed  to  me  most  soldier 
like.  A  copy  of  them  lies  before  me  now,  and 
even  at  this  day,  when  I  scan  again  the  plan  of 
march,  I  do  not  see  how  it  could  be  improved.  I 


I   CHANCE   UPON   A  TRAGEDY  185 

admit  that  there  are  others  who  know  much  more 
of  the  art  of  war  than  I,  and  to  them  defects  in  the 
system  may  be  at  once  discernible.  But  at  the 
time,  these  orders  gave  us  all  a  most  exalted 
opinion  of  our  general's  ability,  and  I  remembered 
with  a  smile  the  gloomy  prophecies  of  Colonel 
Washington.  Surely,  against  such  a  force,  so  ably 
handled,  no  army  the  French  might  muster  could 
avail,  and  I  awaited  the  event  with  a  confidence 
and  eager  anticipation  which  were  shared  by  all 
the  others. 


CHAPTER  XV 

WE    START    ON    A    WEARY    JOURNEY 

THE  twenty-ninth  of  May  dawned  clear  and 
bright  in  pleasant  contrast  to  the  violent  storm 
which  had  raged  the  day  before.  Long  ere  day 
break,  the  camp  was  alive  with  hurrying  men,  for 
the  first  detachment  was  to  march  under  command 
of  Major  Campbell,  and  the  sun  had  scarce  risen 
above  the  horizon  when  the  gates  were  thrown  open 
and  the  troops  filed  out.  Six  hundred  of  them 
there  were,  with  two  fieldpieces  and  fifty  wagons 
of  provision,  and  very  smart  they  looked  as  they 
fell  into  rank  beyond  the  bridge  and  set  off  west 
ward.  The  whole  camp  was  there  to  see  them  go, 
and  cheered  them  right  heartily,  for  we  were  all 
of  us  glad  that  the  long  waiting  and  delay  had 
come  to  an  end  at  last. 

All  day  we  could  see  them  here  and  there  in 
the  intervales  of  the  forest  pushing  their  way  up 
a  steep  hill  not  two  miles  from  the  camp,  and 
darkness  came  before  they  passed  the  summit. 
Three  wagons  were  utterly  destroyed  in  the  pas 
sage,  and  new  ones  had  to  be  sent  from  camp  to 
replace  them,  while  many  more  were  all  but  ruined. 
Spiltdorph  and  I  walked  out  to  the  place  the  next 
day  and  found  it  an  almost  perpendicular  rock, 


WE   START  ON   A   WEARY   JOURNEY      187 

though  two  hundred  men  and  a  company  of  miners 
had  been  at  work  for  near  a  week  trying  to  make 
it  passable.  We  could  see  the  detachment  slowly 
cutting  its  way  through  the  valley  below,  and  I 
reflected  gloomily  that,  at  so  slow  a  rate,  the  sum 
mer  would  be  well-nigh  gone  before  the  army  could 
reach  its  destination.  Indeed,  I  believe  it  would 
have  gone  to  pieces  on  this  first  spur  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  had  not  Lieutenant  Spendelow,  of  the 
seamen,  discovered  a  valley  round  its  foot.  Ac 
cordingly,  a  party  of  a  hundred  men  was  ordered 
out  to  clear  a  road  there,  and  worked  to  such  pur 
pose  that  at  the  end  of  two  days  an  extremely  good 
one  was  completed,  falling  into  the  road  made  by 
Major  Campbell  about  a  mile  beyond  the  moun 
tain. 

On  the  seventh,  Sir  Peter  Halket  and  the  Forty- 
Eighth  marched,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  storm, 
and  at  daybreak  the  next  day  it  was  our  turn. 
Under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burton,  all 
of  the  independent  companies  and  rangers  left  the 
camp,  not,  indeed,  making  so  brilliant  an  appear 
ance  as  the  regulars,  —  who  stood  on  either  side 
and  laughed  at  us,  —  but  with  a  clearer  compre 
hension  of  the  work  before  us  and  a  hearty  readi 
ness  to  do  it.  It  was  not  until  the  tenth  that  the 
third  division  under  Colonel  Dunbar  left  the  fort, 
and  finally,  on  the  eleventh,  the  general  joined  the 
army  where  it  had  assembled  at  Spendelow  camp, 
five  miles  from  the  start. 

Our  tent  that  night  was  a  gloomy  place,  for  I 
think  most  of  us,  for  the  first  time  since  the  cam- 


188  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

paign  opened,  began  to  doubt  its  ultimate  success. 
We  soon  finished  with  the  food,  and  were  smoking 
in  gloomy  silence,  when  Peyronie  came  in,  and  after 
a  glance  around  at  our  faces,  broke  into  a  laugh. 

"  Ma  foi !  "  he  cried, "  I  thought  I  had  chanced 
upon  a  meeting  of  our  Philadelphia  friends,  —  they 
of  the  broad  hats  and  sober  coats,  —  and  yet  I  had 
never  before  known  them  to  go  to  war." 

"  Do  you  call  this  going  to  war  ?  "  cried  Wag 
goner.  "  I  'm  cursed  if  I  do  !  " 

Peyronie  laughed  louder  than  ever,  and  Wag 
goner  motioned  him  to  the  pipes  and  tobacco. 

"  By  God,  Peyronie  !  "  he  said.  "  I  believe  you 
would  laugh  in  the  face  of  the  devil." 

Peyronie  filled  his  pipe,  chuckling  to  himself  the 
while,  and  when  he  had  got  it  to  drawing  nicely, 
settled  himself  upon  a  stool. 

"  Why,  to  tell  the  truth,"  said  -he,  "  I  was  feel 
ing  sober  enough  myself  till  I  came  in  here,  but 
the  sight  of  you  fellows  sitting  around  for  all  the 
world  like  death-heads  at  an  Egyptian  feast  was 
too  much  for  me.  And  then,"  he  added,  "  I  have 
always  found  it  better  to  laugh  than  to  cry." 

Waggoner  looked  at  him  with  a  grim  smile,  and 
there  was  a  gleam  in  Spiltdorph's  eyes,  though  he 
tried  to  conceal  himself  behind  a  cloud  of  smoke. 
Peyronie's  good  humor  was  infectious. 

"Let  me  see,"  continued  the  Frenchman,  "when 
was  it  the  first  detachment  left  the  fort  ?  " 

"The  twenty-ninth  of  May,"  answered  Wag 
goner  shortly. 

"  And  what  day  is  this? " 


WE  START  ON  A   WEARY  JOURNEY     189 

"  The  eleventh  of  June." 

"  And  how  far  have  we  come  ?  " 

"  Five  miles  !  "  cried  Waggoner.  "  Damn  it, 
man,  you  know  all  this  well  enough !  Don't  make 
me  say  it !  It 's  incredible  !  Five  miles  in  thir 
teen  days  !  Think  of  it !  " 

I  heard  Spiltdorph  choking  behind  his  cloud  of 
smoke. 

"  Oh,  come,"  said  Peyronie,  "  that 's  not  the 
way  to  look  at  it.  Consider  a  moment.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  Fort  Duquesne,  so  I  am 
told.  At  five-thirteenths  of  a  mile  a  day,  we  shall 
arrive  there  nicely  in  —  in  —  let  me  see." 

"  In  three  hundred  and  ninety  days  ! "  cried 
Spiltdorph. 

"  Thank  you,  lieutenant,"  and  Peyronie  bowed 
toward  Spiltdorph's  nimbus.  "  I  was  never  good 
at  figures.  In  three  hundred  and  ninety  days, 
then.  You  see,  we  shall  get  to  Fort  Duquesne 
very  comfortably  by  the  middle  of  July  of  next 
year.  Perhaps  the  French  will  have  grown  weary 
of  waiting  for  us  by  that  time,  and  we  shall  have 
only  to  march  in  and  occupy  the  fort." 

Waggoner  snorted  with  anger. 

"  Come,  talk  sense,  Peyronie,"  he  said.  "  What 's 
to  be  done?  " 

Peyronie  smiled  more  blandly  than  ever. 

"  I  fancy  that  is  just  what  's  troubling  the  gen 
eral,"  he  remarked.  "  I  met  Colonel  Washington 
a  moment  ago  looking  like  a  thunder-cloud,  and 
he  said  a  council  of  war  had  been  called  at  the 
general's  tent." 


190  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  There  was  need  of  it,"  and  Waggoner's  brow 
cleared  a  little.  "  What  think  you  they  will  do  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Peyronie  deliberately,  "  if  it  were 
left  to  me,  the  first  thing  I  should  do  would  be  to 
cut  down  Spiltdorph's^  supply  of  tobacco  and  take 
away  from  him  that  great  porcelain  pipe,  which 
must  weigh  two  or  three  pounds." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  you  do  it,"  grunted  Spilt- 
dorph,  and  he  took  his  pipe  from  his  lips  to  look  at 
it  lovingly.  "  Why,  man,  that  pipe  has  been  in 
the  family  for  half  a  dozen  generations.  There's 
only  one  other  like  it  in  Germany." 

"  A  most  fortunate  thing,"  remarked  Peyronie 
dryly ;  "  else  Virginia  could  not  raise  enough  to 
bacco  to  supply  the  market.  But,  seriously,  I 
believe  even  the  general  will  see  the  need  of  tak 
ing  some  radical  action.  He  may  even  be  induced 
to  leave  behind  one  or  two  of  his  women  and  a 
few  cases  of  wine,  if  the  matter  be  put  before  him 
plainly." 

"  Shut  up,  man  !  "  cried  Waggoner.  "  Do  you 
want  a  court-martial  ?  "  And  we  fell  silent,  for 
indeed  the  excesses  of  the  officers  of  the  line  was 
a  sore  subject  with  all  of  us.  But  Peyronie  had 
made  a  good  guess,  as  we  found  out  when  the  result 
of  the  council  was  made  known  next  day. 

It  was  pointed  out  that  we  had  less  than  half 
the  horses  we  really  needed,  and  those  we  had  were 
so  weak  from  the  diet  of  leaves  to  which  they  had 
been  reduced  that  they  could  do  little  work.  So 
the  general  urged  that  all  unnecessary  baggage 
be  sent  back  to  the  fort,  and  that  as  many  horses 


WE   START   ON   A   WEARY  JOURNEY      191 

as  possible  be  given  to  the  public  cause.  He  and 
his  staff  set  the  example  by  contributing  twenty 
horses,  and  this  had  so  great  effect  among  the  offi 
cers  that  near  a  hundred  were  added  to  the  train. 
They  divested  themselves,  also,  of  all  the  baggage 
they  did  not  need,  most  of  them  even  sending  back 
their  tents,  and  sharing  the  soldiers'  tents  for  the 
remainder  of  the  campaign.  Enough  powder  and 
stores  were  left  behind  to  clear  twenty  wagons, 
and  all  the  king's  wagons  were  returned  to  the 
fort  as  being  too  heavy.  A  deprivation  which, 
I  doubt  not,  cost  some  of  the  officers  more  than 
any  other,  was  that  of  their  women,  who  were 
ordered  back  to  the  fort,  and  only  two  women  for 
each  company  were  allowed  to  be  victualed  upon 
the  march,  but  in  this  particular  the  example  set 
by  the  general  was  not  so  commendable  as  in  the 
matter  of  the  horses.  Three  hundred  lashes  were 
ordered  to  any  soldier  or  non-commissioned  officer 
who  should  be  caught  gaming  or  seen  drunk  in 
camp,  but  these  rigors  did  not  affect  those  higher 
up,  and  the  officers  still  spent  half  the  night  over 
the  cards  or  dice,  and  on  such  occasions  there  was 
much  wine  and  spirits  drunk. 

We  of  Waggoner's  and  Peyronie's  companies 
fared  very  well,  for  though  we  gave  up  one  of  our 
tents,  it  was  only  to  bunk  together  in  the  other. 
There  was  no  room  to  spare,  to  be  sure,  and  Pey- 
ronie  grumbled  that  every  time  a  man  turned  over 
he  disturbed  the  whole  line  of  sleepers,  but  we 
put  the  best  face  possible  on  the  situation,  and 
had  little  cause  for  complaint,  except  at  the  food, 


192  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

which  soon  became  most  villainous.  I  think  Spilt- 
dorph  had  some  twinges  concerning  his  pipe,  for 
he  was  a  conscientious  fellow,  but  he  could  not 
decide  to  give  it  up,  and  finally  kept  it  with  him, 
arguing  artfully  that  without  it  he  must  inev 
itably  fall  ill,  and  so  be  of  no  use  whatever. 
Dear  fellow,  I  wonder  what  warrior,  the  envy  of 
his  tribe,  smokes  it  now  in  his  wigwam  beside  the 
Miami  ? 

It  took  two  days  to  repair  our  wagons  and  get 
our  baggage  readjusted,  and  finally,  on  the  thir 
teenth,  the  army  set  in  motion  again,  winding 
along  the  narrow  road  through  the  forest  like  some 
gigantic,  parti-colored  serpent,  with  strength  barely 
sufficient  to  drag  its  great  length  along.  It  was 
noon  of  the  next  day  before  we  reached  Martin's 
plantation,  scarce  five  miles  away.  Yet  here  we 
had  to  stay  another  day,  so  nearly  were  the  horses 
spent,  but  at  daybreak  on  the  fifteenth  the  line 
moved  again,  and  we  toiled  up  an  extremely  steep 
ascent  for  more  than  two  miles.  The  horses  were 
quite  unable  to  proceed,  so  half  the  troops  were 
ordered  to  ground  arms  and  assist  the  wagons. 
It  was  weary  work,  nor  was  the  descent  less  peril 
ous,  and  three  of  the  wagons  got  beyond  control 
and  were  dashed  to  pieces  at  the  bottom.  So  we 
struggled  on  over  hills  and  through  valleys,  until 
on  the  eighteenth  we  reached  the  Little  Meadows. 
Here  the  army  was  well-nigh  stalled.  The  horses 
had  grown  every  day  weaker,  and  many  of  them 
were  already  dead.  Nor  were  the  men  in  much 
better  case,  so  excessive  had  been  the  fatigues  of  the 


WE   START  ON  A   WEARY   JOURNEY     193 

journey,  for  on  many  days  they  had  been  under 
arms  from  sunrise  till  late  into  the  night. 

It  was  here,  for  the  first  time  since  our  depar 
ture  from  Fort  Cumberland,  that  I  chanced  to  see 
Colonel  Washington,  and  I  was  shocked  at  the 
change  in  his  appearance.  He  was  wan  and  livid, 
and  seemed  to  have  fallen  away  greatly  in  flesh. 
To  my  startled  inquiry,  he  replied  that  he  had  not 
been  able  to  shake  off  the  fever,  which  had  grown 
worse  instead  of  better. 

"  But  I  will  conquer  it,"  he  said,  with  a  smile. 
"  I  cannot  afford  to  miss  the  end.  From  here,  I 
believe  our  advance  will  be  more  rapid,  for  the 
general  has  decided  that  he  will  leave  his  baggage 
and  push  on  with  a  picked  body  of  the  troops  to 
meet  the  enemy." 

I  was  rejoiced  to  hear  it,  though  I  did  not  learn 
until  long  afterwards  that  it  was  by  Colonel  Wash 
ington's  advice  that  this  plan  was  adopted.  A 
detachment  of  four  hundred  men  was  sent  out  to 
cut  a  road  to  the  little  crossing  of  the  Yoxiogeny, 
and  on  the  next  day  the  general  himself  followed 
with  about  nine  hundred  men,  the  pick  of  the 
whole  command.  The  Virginia  companies  were 
yet  in  fair  condition,  but  the  regulars  had  been 
decimated  by  disease.  Yet  though  our  baggage 
was  now  reduced  to  thirty  wagons  and  our  artil 
lery  to  four  howitzers  and  foiir  twelve-pounders,  we 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  power  of  motion,  for 
we  were  four  days  in  getting  twelve  miles.  Still, 
we  were  nearing  Fort  Duquesne,  and  the  Indians, 
set  on  by  the  French,  began  to  harass  us,  and  killed 


194  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  scalped  a  straggler  now  and  then,  always  evad 
ing  pursuit.  On  the  evening  of  the  nineteenth, 
the  guides  reported  that  a  great  body  of  the  enemy 
was  advancing  to  attack  us,  but  they  did  not 
appear,  though  we  remained  for  two  hours  under 
arms,  anxiously  awaiting  the  event.  From  that 
time  on,  the  Indians  hung  upon  our  flanks,  but 
vanished  as  by  magic  the  moment  we  advanced 
against  them. 

In  consequence  of  these  alarms,  more  stringent 
orders  were  issued  to  the  camp.  On  no  account 
was  a  gun  to  be  discharged  unless  at  an  enemy, 
the  pickets  were  always  to  load  afresh  when  going 
on  duty,  and  at  daybreak  to  examine  their  pans 
and  put  in  fresh  priming,  and  a  reward  of  five 
pounds  was  offered  for  every  Indian  scalp.  Day 
after  day  we  plodded  on,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
twenty-fifth  of  June  that  we  reached  the  Great 
Meadows. 

I  surveyed  with  a  melancholy  interest  the 
trenches  of  Fort  Necessity,  which  were  yet  clearly 
to  be  seen  on  the  plain.  Our  detachment  halted 
here  for  a  space,  and  it  was  while  I  was  walking 
up  and  down  along  the  remnants  of  the  old  breast 
work  that  I  saw  an  officer  ride  up,  spring  from  his 
horse,  and  spend  some  minutes  in  a  keen  inspection 
of  the  fortification.  As  he  looked  about  him,  he 
perceived  me  similarly  engaged,  and,  after  a  mo 
ment's  hesitation,  turned  toward  me.  He  made  a 
brave  figure  in  his  three-cornered  hat,  scarlet  coat, 
and  ample  waistcoat,  all  heavy  with  gold  lace.  His 
face  was  pale  as  from  much  loss  of  sleep,  but  very 


WE  START  ON  A  WEARY  JOURNEY      195 

pleasing,  and  as  he  stopped  before  me,  I  saw 
that  his  eyes  were  of  a  clear  and  penetrating 
blue. 

"  This  is  the  place,  is  it  not,"  he  asked,  "  where 
Colonel  Washington  made  his  gallant  stand  against 
the  French  and  Indians  last  year  ?  " 

"  This  is  indeed  the  place,  sir,"  I  answered,  my 
face  flushing ;  "  and  it  warms  my  heart  to  know 
that  you  deem  the  action  a  gallant  one." 

"  No  man  could  do  less,"  he  said  quickly.  "  He 
held  off  four  times  his  number,  and  at  the  end 
marched  out  with  colors  flying.  I  know  many 
a  general  who  would  have  been  glad  to  do  so 
well.  Do  I  guess  aright,"  he  added,  with  a  smile, 
"  when  I  venture  to  say  that  you  were  present 
with  him?" 

"  It  was  my  great  good  fortune,"  I  answered 
simply,  but  with  a  pride  I  did  not  try  to  conceal. 

"  Let  me  introduce  myself,"  he  said,  looking  at 
me  with  greater  interest.  "  I  am  Captain  Robert 
Orme,  of  General  Braddock's  staff,  and  I  have 
come  to  admire  Colonel  Washington  very  greatly 
during  the  month  that  we  have  been  associated." 

"  And  I,"  I  said,  "  am.  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Stewart,  of  Captain  Waggoner's  Virginia  Com 
pany." 

"  Lieutenant  Stewart !  "  he  cried,  and  his  hand 
was  clasping  mine  warmly.  "  I  am  happy  to  meet 
you.  Colonel  Washington  has  told  me  of  the  part 
you  played." 

"  Not  more  happy  than  am  I,  captain,  I  am 
sure,"  I  answered  heartily.  "  Colonel  Washington 


196  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

has  spoken  to  me  of  you  and  in  terms  of  warmest 
praise." 

"  Now  't  is  my  turn  to  blush !  "  he  cried,  laugh 
ing,  and  looking  at  my  cheeks  which  had  turned 
red  a  moment  before,  "  but  my  blood  has  been 
so  spent  in  this  horrible  march  that  I  have  n't  a 
blush  remaining." 

"  And  how  is  Colonel  Washington  ?  "  I  ques 
tioned,  glad  to  change  the  subject.  "  The  last 
I  saw  him,  he  seemed  most  ill." 

Captain  Orme  looked  at  me  quickly. 

"  Have  you  not  heard  ?  "  he  asked,  and  his  face 
was  very  grave. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing,  sir,"  I  answered,  with  a 
sinking  heart.  "  Pray  tell  me." 

"  Colonel  Washington  has  been  ill  almost  from 
the  first.  His  indomitable  will  kept  him  on  horse 
back  when  he  should  have  been  in  bed.  At  last, 
when  the  fever  had  wasted  him  to  a  mere  skeleton, 
and  he  spent  his  nights  in  sleepless  delirium,  he 
broke  down  utterly.  His  body  was  no  longer  able 
to  obey  his  will.  At  the  ford  of  the  Yoxiogeny 
he  attempted  to  mount  his  horse  and  fell  in  a  faint. 
He  was  carried  to  a  tent  and  left  with  two  or  three 
guards.  So  soon  as  he  recovered  consciousness,  he 
tried  to  get  up  to  follow  us,  and  was  persuaded  to 
lie  still  only  when  the  general  promised  he  would 
send  for  him  in  order  that  he  might  be  present 
when  we  meet  the  French.  He  is  a  man  who  is  an 
honor  to  Virginia,"  concluded  Orme,  and  he  turned 
away  hastily  to  hide  his  emotion,  nor  were  my  own 
eyes  wholly  dry. 


WE   START   ON   A   WEARY   JOURNEY     197 

"  Come,"  I  said,  "  let  me  show  you,  sir,  how 
the  troops  lay  that  day,"  and  as  he  assented,  I  led 
the  way  along  the  lines  and  pointed  out  the  posi 
tion  held  by  the  enemy  and  how  we  had  opposed 
them  ;  but  my  thoughts  were  miles  away  with  that 
wasted  figure  tossing  wearily  from  side  to  side 
of  a  rude  camp  cot  on  the  bank  of  the  Yoxiogeny, 
with  no  other  nurses  than  two  or  three  rough  sol 
diers. 

"  'T  was  well  done,"  said  Orme,  when  I  had 
finished.  "  I  see  not  how  it  could  have  been  bet 
ter.  And  I  trust  the  victory  will  be  with  us,  not 
with  the  French,  when  we  meet  before  Duquesne." 

"  Of  that  there  can  be  no  question !  "  I  cried. 
"  Once  we  reach  the  fort,  it  must  fall  before  us." 

"  Faith,  I  believe  so,"  laughed  Orme.  "  My 
only  fear  is  that  they  will  run  away,  and  not  stay 
to  give  us  battle.  Our  spies  have  told  us  that  such 
was  their  intention,"  and  he  laughed  again  as  he 
saw  my  fallen  face.  "  Why,  I  believe  you  are  as 
great  a  fire-eater  as  the  best  of  us,  lieutenant." 

"In  truth,  sir,"  I  answered,  somewhat  abashed 
at  his  merriment,  "  I  decided  long  ago  that  since  I 
held  no  station  in  the  world,  I  needs  must  win  one 
with  my  sword,  but  if  I  can  find  no  employment 
for  it,  I  see  small  hope  of  advancement." 

"  Well,  do  not  repine,"  and  he  smiled  as  he 
shook  my  hand,  "  for  if  the  French  do  not  wait  to 
meet  us  here,  we  shall  yet  find  plenty  of  fighting 
before  us.  This  is  only  the  first  stage  in  the  jour 
ney,  and  Duquesne  once  ours,  we  press  forward  to 
join  forces  with  the  expeditions  which  are  moving 


198  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

against  Canada.     If  I  hear  more   from   Colonel 

O 

Washington,  I  shall  let  you  know." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  kindness,  and  watched 
him  as  he  rode  away  across  the  plain.  When  he 
was  out  of  sight,  I  turned  back  to  join  my  com 
pany,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  made  a  new  friend,  and 
one  whom  I  was  proud  to  have. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   END   IN   SIGHT 

THE  country  beyond  Great  Meadows  was  ex 
ceeding  mountainous,  and  we  could  proceed  only 
a  few  miles  each  day,  and  that  with  the  greatest 
difficulty.  The  horses  were  by  this  time  well-nigh 
useless,  and  at  every  little  hill  half  the  men  were 
compelled  to  ground  arms  and  take  a  hand  at 
the  wagons.  It  was  work  fatiguing  beyond  de 
scription,  and  our  sick  list  grew  larger  every  day, 
while  those  who  remained  upon  their  feet  were  in 
scarce  better  plight. 

On  the  evening  of  the  twenty-sixth,  we  reached 
the  pass  through  which  had  come  the  party  of 
French  and  Indians  to  attack  us  at  Fort  Necessity. 
They  must  have  thought  for  a  time  to  oppose  us 
here,  for  we  came  upon  traces  of  a  camp  just 
broken  up,  with  embers  still  glowing  in  the  hollow, 
over  which  they  had  prepared  their  food.  Both 
French  and  Indians  had  been  present,  for  the  for 
mer  had  written  on  the  trees  many  insolent  and 
scurrilous  expressions,  —  which  gave  me  a  poorer 
opinion  of  them  than  I  had  yet  entertained,  —  and 
the  Indians  had  marked  up  the  number  of  scalps 
they  had  taken,  some  eight  or  ten  in  all.  What 
ever  their  intention  may  have  been,  the  sight  of 


200  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

our  strength  had  frightened  them  away,  and  we  saw 
no  sign  of  them  as  we  descended  into  the  valley 
on  the  other  side. 

We  toiled  on  all  the  next  day  over  a  road  that 
was  painfully  familiar  to  most  of  us,  and  in  the 
evening  came  to  Christopher  Gist's  plantation. 
Spiltdorph  and  I  made  a  circuit  of  the  place  that 
night,  and  I  pointed  out  to  him  the  dispositions 
we  had  made  for  defense  the  year  before.  The 
French  had  burned  down  all  the  buildings,  but 
the  half-finished  trenches  could  yet  be  seen,  and 
the  logs  which  were  to  have  made  the  breastwork 
still  littered  the  ground. 

Beyond  Gist's,  it  was  a  new  country  to  all  of 
us,  and  grew  more  open,  so  that  we  could  make 
longer  marches.  We  descended  a  broad  valley  to 
the  great  crossing  of  the  Yoxiogeny,  which  we 
passed  on  the  thirtieth.  The  general  was  under 
much  apprehension  lest  the  French  ambush  us  here, 
and  so  advanced  most  cautiously,  but  we  saw 
no  sign  of  any  enemy.  Beyond  the  river  was  a 
great  swamp,  where  a  road  of  logs  had  to  be  built 
to  support  the  wagons  and  artillery,  but  we  won 
through  without  accident,  and  two  days  later 
reached  a  place  called  Jacob's  cabin,  not  above 
thirty  miles,  as  the  bird  flies,  from  Fort  Duquesne. 
Here  the  rumor  ran  through  the  camp  that  we 
were  to  be  held  till  Colonel  Dunbar's  division 
could  be  brought  up  from  the  Little  Meadows,  and 
there  was  much  savage  comment  at  our  mess  that 
evening. 

"Why,"  cried  Peyronie,  who  voiced  the  senti- 


THE  END  IN   SIGHT  201 

ment  of  all  of  us,  "  't  would  take  two  weeks  or 
more  to  bring  Dunbar  up,  and  what  are  we  to  do 
meantime?  Sit  here  and  eat  this  carrion?"  and 
he  looked  disgustedly  at  the  mess  of  unsavory  beef 
on  the  table,  which  was,  to  tell  the  truth,  most 
odoriferous.  "  'T  is  rank  folly  to  even  think  of 
such  a  course." 

"  So  the  general  believes,"  said  a  pleasant  voice, 
and  I  turned  with  a  start  to  see  a  gallant  figure 
standing  by  the  raised  flap  of  the  tent. 

"  Captain  Orme  !  "  I  cried,  springing  to  my  feet, 
and  I  brought  him  in  and  presented  him  to  all  the 
others.  We  pressed  him  to  sit  down,  and  though 
he  laughingly  declined  to  partake  of  our  rations, 
against  which,  he  said,  Peyronie's  remark  had 
somehow  prejudiced  him,  he  consented  to  join  us 
in  a  glass  of  wine,  —  where  Waggoner  found  the 
bottle  I  could  never  guess,  —  in  which  we  pledged 
the  success  of  the  campaign. 

"So  we  are  not  to  stop  here ? "  asked  Peyronie, 
when  the  toast  was  drunk. 

"  No,"  and  Orme  set  down  the  glass.  "  The 
suggestion  was  made  by  Sir  John  St.  Clair,  and  a 
council  was  held  half  an  hour  since  to  consider  it. 
It  was  agreed  without  debate  that  we  could  not 
afford  the  delay,  as  the  provision  is  running  low, 
and  so  we  shall  press  on  at  once." 

"  'T  is  the  wiser  course,"  said  Waggoner.  "  We 
have  men  in  plenty." 

"  So  the  general  thinks,"  said  Orme.  "  He  has 
learned  that  there  is  only  a  small  garrison  at  the 
fort,  which  can  scarce  hope  to  resist  us.  But  't  was 


202  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

not  to  talk  of  the  campaign  I  came  here.  I  had  a 
note  this  evening  from  Colonel  Washington,  which 
I  knew  Lieutenant  Stewart  would  wish  to  see." 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  I  cried.     "  What  says  he,  sir  ?  " 

Orme  glanced  about  at  the  circle  of  attentive 
faces. 

"  I  see  Colonel  Washington  has  many  friends 
here,"  he  said,  with  a  smile.  "  He  writes  that  he 
is  improving,  and  hopes  soon  to  join  us,  and  im 
plores  me  not  to  neglect  to  warn  him  so  that  he 
can  be  present  when  we  meet  the  French.  I  shall 
not  neglect  it,"  he  added. 

"  Captain  Orme,"  said  Peyronie,  after  a  mo 
ment,  "  I  am  sure  I  speak  for  all  these  gentlemen 
when  I  say  we  deeply  appreciate  your  kindness  in 
coming  here  to-night.  There  is  not  one  of  us  who 
does  not  love  Colonel  Washington.  We  thank  you, 
sir,"  and  Peyronie  bowed  with  a  grace  worthy  of 
Versailles. 

"  Nay,"  protested  Orme,  bowing  in  his  turn,  "  it 
was  a  little  thing.  I,  too,  think  much  of  Colonel 
Washington.  Good-evening,  gentlemen,"  and  we 
all  arose  and  saluted  him,  remaining  standing  till 
he  was  out  of  sight. 

"  A  gentleman  and  a  soldier,  if  ever  I  saw  one  ! " 
cried  Peyronie.  "  A  man  whom  it  is  a  privilege 
to  know."  And  we  all  of  us  echoed  the  sentiment. 

So,  the  next  morning,  the  order  was  given  to 
march  as  usual,  and  we  made  about  five  miles  to  a 
salt  lick  in  the  marsh,  where  we  camped  for  the 
night.  The  next  day  we  reached  a  little  stream 
called  Thicketty  Run,  and  here  there  was  a  longer 


THE  END   IN   SIGHT  203 

halt,  until  we  could  gain  some  further  information 
of  the  enemy.  Christopher  Gist,  by  dint  of  many 
gifts  and  much  persuasion,  had  secured  the  services 
of  eight  Iroquois,  lazy  dogs,  who  up  to  the  present 
time  had  done  little  but  eat  and  sleep.  But  we 
were  now  so  near  the  enemy  that  it  was  imperative 
to  reconnoitre  their  position,  so,  after  much  trouble, 
two  of  the  Indians  were  induced  to  go  forward,  and 
Gist  himself  was  sent  after  them  to  see  that  they 
really  did  approach  the  fort  and  not  try  to  deceive 
us.  This  was  the  fourth  of  July,  just  one  year 
since  we  had  marched  away  from  Fort  Necessity. 
All  the  next  day  we  remained  at  Thicketty  Run, 
waiting  for  the  scouts  to  come  in,  but  they  did  not 
appear  until  the  sixth. 

The  Indians  returned  early  in  the  morning, 
bringing  with  them  the  scalp  of  a  French  officer 
they  had  killed  near  the  fort,  and  stated  that  they 
had  seen  none  of  the  enemy  except  the  one  they 
had  shot,  and  that  the  French  possessed  no  pass 
between  us  and  Duquesne,  and  had  seemingly  made 
no  preparation  to  resist  us.  Gist  got  back  later 
in  the  day,  having  narrowly  escaped  capture  by  two 
Delawares,  and  confirmed  this  story.  Such  care 
lessness  on  the  part  of  the  French  seemed  incredi 
ble,  as  the  country  was  very  favorable  to  an  am 
buscade,  and  the  officers  were  almost  unanimously 
of  the  opinion  that  it  was  their  purpose  to  abandon 
the  fort  at  our  approach. 

These  reports  once  received,  we  again  broke 
camp  and  advanced  toward  the  Monongahela.  An 
unhappy  accident  marked  the  day.  Three  or  four 


204  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

men  who  had  loitered  behind  were  surprised  by 
some  Indians,  and  killed  and  scalped,  before  assist 
ance  could  be  sent  them.  This  so  excited  our 
scouting  parties  that  they  fired  upon  a  body  of  our 
own  Indians,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
made  the  preconcerted  signal  by  holding  up  a  green 
bough  and  grounding  arms.  The  son  of  Chief 
Monakatuca  was  killed  by  the  discharge,  and  it 
was  feared  for  a  time  that  the  Indians  would  leave 
in  a  body.  But  the  general  sent  for  them,  con 
doled  with  them  and  made  them  presents,  ordered 
that  Monakatuca's  son  be  given  a  military  burial, 
and,  in  a  word,  handled  them  so  adroitly  that  they 
became  more  attached  to  us  than  ever.  Additional 
scouting  parties  were  thrown  out  to  right  and  left, 
and  every  precaution  taken,  to  prevent  further  mis 
hap. 

The  next  day  we  endeavored  to  pass  a  little 
stream  called  Turtle  Creek,  but  found  the  road 
impracticable,  so  turned  into  the  valley  of  another 
stream,  known  as  Long  Run,  and  on  the  night  of 
the  eighth  encamped  within  a  mile  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  and  only  about  ten  from  the  fort.  Here 
General  St.  Clair,  who  seems  from  the  first  to  have 
feared  for  the  result,  advised  that  a  detachment  be 
sent  forward  to  invest  the  fort,  but  it  was  finally 
judged  best  to  send  the  detachment  from  the  next 
camp,  from  which  it  could  be  readily  reinforced  in 
case  it  were  attacked.  We  were  to  ford  the  Mo- 
nongahela  at  Crooked  Run,  march  along  the  west 
bank  to  the  mouth  of  Turtle  Creek,  ford  it  a  second 
time,  and  advance  against  the  fort.  Both  fords 


10-1. 
13-2. 
15-3. 

lli-4. 


Spendelow  Camp 
Martin's  Plantation 
Savage  River 
Little  Meadow- 
West  side  of  Little 
Crossing  ol  Yoxioireny 
Bear  Camp 
Squaw's  Fort 
East  fide  Gt.  Meadow 
West    "      " 
Kock  Fort 
Gist's  Piuutation 
East  Side  of  Great 
Crossing  of  Yoxiogeny 
West  side 
Great  Swamp 
Jacole's  Cubiii 
Salt  lick 
Thicketty  Run 
Monacattic'i  Camp 
Monongahela    " 
Battle  Held 


Scale  of 
0      3      1(1    I.'.    L'O    -2: 


ROUTE   OF    RRADDOCK'S    ARMY 


THE  END  IN  SIGHT  205 

were  described  by  the  guides  as  very  good  ones 
and  easy  of  passage,  while  if  we  attempted  to  ad 
vance  straight  ahead  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river, 
we  should  encounter  a  very  rough  road,  beside 
passing  through  a  country  admirably  fitted  by 
nature  for  an  ambuscade.  Colonel  Gage  was  to 
march  before  daybreak  to  secure  both  fords,  and 
the  men  turned  in  with  full  assurance  that  the 
battle  so  long  deferred  and  so  eagerly  awaited  was 
not  far  distant. 

That  night  it  so  happened  that  I  was  placed  in 
charge  of  one  of  the  rear  pickets,  and  I  sat  with 
my  back  against  a  tree,  smoking  lazily  and  won 
dering  what  the  morrow  would  bring  forth,  when  I 
heard  a  horse  galloping  down  the  road,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  the  sharp  challenge  of  a  sentry.  I  was 
on  my  feet  in  an  instant,  and  saw  that  the  picket 
had  evidently  been  satisfied  that  all  was  well,  for 
he  had  permitted  the  rider  to  pass.  As  he  reached 
the  edge  of  the  camp,  he  emerged  from  the  shadow 
of  the  trees,  and  I  started  as  I  looked  at  him. 

"  Colonel  Washington !  "  I  cried,  and  as  he 
checked  his  horse  sharply,  I  was  at  his  side. 

"  Why,  is  it  you,  Tom  ? "  he  asked,  and  as  I 
took  his  hand,  I  noticed  how  thin  it  was.  "  Well, 
it  seems  I  am  in  time." 

"  Yes,"  I  said.  "  The  battle,  if  there  be  one, 
must  take  place  to-morrow." 

"  Why  should  there  not  be  one  ?  "  he  questioned, 
leaning  down  from  his  saddle  to  see  my  face  more 
clearly. 

"  The  French  may  run  away." 


206  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  True,"  he  said,  and  sat  for  a  moment  thinking. 
"  Yet  it  is  not  like  them  to  run  without  striking  a 
blow.  No,  I  believe  we  shall  have  a  battle,  Tom, 
and  I  am  glad  that  I  am  to  be  here  to  see  it." 

"  But  are  you  strong  enough  ?  "  I  asked.  "  You 
have  not  yet  the  air  of  a  well  man." 

He  laughed  lightly  as  he  gathered  up  his  reins. 

"  In  truth,  Tom,"  he  said,  "  I  am  as  weak  as  a 
man  could  well  be  and  still  sit  his  horse,  but  the 
fever  is  broken  and  I  shall  be  stronger  to-morrow. 
But  I  must  report  to  the  general.  He  may  have 
work  for  me,"  and  he  set  spurs  to  his  horse  and 
was  off. 

I  turned  back  to  my  station,  musing  on  the  iron 
will  of  this  man,  who  could  drag  his  body  from  a 
bed  of  sickness  when  duty  called  and  yet  think 
nothing  of  it.  All  about  me  gleamed  the  white 
tents  in  which  the  grenadiers  and  provincials 
were  sleeping,  dreaming  perchance  of  victory.  Alas, 
for  how  many  of  them  was  it  their  last  sleep  this 
side  eternity ! 

The  hours  passed  slowly  and  quietly.  Pre 
sently  the  moon  rose  and  illumined  the  camp  from 
end  to  end.  Here  and  there  I  could  see  a  picket 
pacing  back  and  forth,  or  an  officer  making  his 
rounds.  At  headquarters  lights  were  still  burn 
ing,  and  I  did  not  doubt  that  an  earnest  consulta 
tion  was  in  progress  there  concerning  the  orders 
for  the  morrow. 

At  midnight  came  the  relief,  and  I  made  the 
best  of  my  way  back  to  our  quarters,  crawled  into 
the  tent,  whose  flaps  were  raised  to  let  in  every 


THE  END  IN  SIGHT  207 

breath  of  air  stirring,  and  lay  down  beside  Spilt- 
dorph.  I  tried  to  move  softly,  but  he  started 
awake  and  put  out  his  hand  and  touched  me. 

"  Is  it  you,  Stewart  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "just  in  from  picket.  Colonel 
Washington  reached  camp  an  hour  ago,  to  be  here 
for  to-morrow's  battle." 

"  To  -  morrow's  battle,"  repeated  Spiltdorph 
softly.  "  Ah,  yes,  I  had  forgot.  Do  you  know, 
Stewart,  if  I  were  superstitious,  I  should  fear  the 
result  of  to-morrow's  battle,  for  I  had  a  dream 
about  it." 

"  What  was  the  dream  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No  matter,  we  are  not  women,"  and  he  turned 
to  go  to  sleep  again.  "  Good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  I  said,  and  in  a  few  moments  his 
deep  breathing  told  me  he  was  again  in  the  land 
of  dreams.  It  was  long  before  my  own  eyes 
closed,  and  my  dreams  were  not  of  battle,  but  of 
a  bench  upon  the  river's  bank,  and  a  figure  all  in 
white  sitting  there  beside  me. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   LESSON   OF   THE  WILDERNESS 

"  WAKE  up,  man,  wake  up !  "  cried  a  voice  in 
my  ear,  and  I  opened  my  eyes  to  see  Spiltdorph's 
kindly  face  bending  over  me.  "  I  let  you  sleep 
as  long  as  I  could,"  he  added,  as  I  sat  up  and 
rubbed  my  eyes,  "  for  I  knew  you  needed  it,  but 
the  order  has  come  for  us  to  march." 

"  All  right,"  I  said.  "  I  '11  be  ready  in  a  min 
ute,"  and  I  ran  down  to  the  brook  and  dipped  my 
hands  and  face  in  the  cool,  refreshing  water.  A 
biscuit  and  a  piece  of  cold  beef  formed  my  break 
fast.  Our  company  was  striking  tents  and  falling 
in  for  the  march,  and  the  camp  was  astir  from  end 
to  end.  The  sun  was  just  peeping  over  the  tree- 
tops,  for  that  fateful  Wednesday,  the  ninth  of  July, 
1755,  had  dawned  clear  and  fair,  and  all  the  day 
rode  through  a  sky  whose  perfect  blue  remained 
unbroken  by  a  cloud. 

We  were  S9on  ready  for  the  road,  and  while 
waiting  the  word,  Captain  Waggoner  told  me  that 
the  advance  had  begun  some  hours  before.  At 
three  o'clock.  Colonel  Gage  had  marched  with  two 
companies  of  grenadiers  and  two  hundred  rank 
and  file  to  secure  both  crossings  of  the  river,  for  it 
was  believed  that  at  the  second  crossing  the  French 


THE  LESSON  OF  THE   WILDERNESS      209 

would  attack  us,  unless  they  intended  giving  up 
the  fort  without  a  struggle.  An  hour  later,  Sir 
John  St.  Clair  had  followed  with  a  working  party 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  to  clear  the  road  for 
the  passage  of  the  baggage  and  artillery.  And  at 
last  came  the  word  for  us. 

The  ground  sloped  gently  down  to  the  Monon- 
gahela,  nearly  a  mile  away.  The  river  here  was 
over  three  hundred  yards  in  width,  and  the  regu 
lars  had  been  posted  advantageously  to  guard 
against  surprise.  The  baggage,  horses,  and  cattle 
were  all  got  over  safely,  for  the  water  was  scarce 
waist-deep  at  any  point,  and  then  the  troops  fol 
lowed,  so  that  the  whole  army  was  soon  across. 

Before  us  stretched  a  level  bottom,  and  here  we 
were  formed  in  proper  line  of  march,  with  colors 
flying,  drums  beating,  and  fifes  playing  shrilly. 
The  sun's  slant  rays  were  caught  and  multiplied 
a  thousand  times  on  polished  barrel  and  gold-laced 
helmet  and  glittering  shoulder-knot.  Every  man 
had  been  instructed  to  put  off  the  torn  and  travel- 
stained  garments  of  Osnabrig  he  had  worn  upon 
the  march,  and  to  don  his  best  uniform,  and  very 
fresh  and  beautiful  they  looked,  the  Forty-Fourth 
with  its  yellow  facings,  the  Forty -Eighth  with  buff. 
Nor  was  the  showing  made  by  the  Virginia  com 
panies  less  handsome,  though  perhaps  a  shade  more 
sober.  Nowhere  was  there  visible  a  trace  of  that 
terrible  journey  through  the  wilderness.  It  seemed 
that  this  splendent  host  must  have  been  placed 
here  by  some  magic  hand,  alert,  vigorous,  immacu 
late,  eager  for  the  battle.  I  have  only  to  close 


210  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

my  eyes  to  see  again  before  me  that  brilliant  and 
gallant  array.  The  hope  of  a  speedy  ending  to 
their  struggle  through  the  forest  had  brought  new 
color  to  the  faces  of  the  men,  and  a  light  into  their 
eyes,  such  as  I  had  not  seen  there  for  many  days. 
While  we  waited,  the  pieces  were  newly  charged 
and  primed,  and  the  clatter  of  the  cartouch  boxes, 
as  they  were  thrown  back  into  place,  ran  up  and 
down  the  lines. 

At  last  came  word  from  Gage  that  he  had  se 
cured  the  second  crossing,  having  encountered  only 
a  small  party  of  Indians,  who  had  run  away  at  the 
first  alarm,  and  that  the  route  was  clear.  The 
drums  beat  the  advance,  and  the  army  swept  for 
ward  as  though  on  parade.  It  was  a  thrilling 
sight,  and  in  all  that  multitude  there  was  not  one 
who  doubted  the  event.  I  think  even  Colonel 
Washington's  misgivings  must  have  melted  away 
before  that  martial  scene.  The  broad  river  rolled 
at  our  right,  and  beyond  it  the  hills,  crowned  with 
verdure,  looked  down  upon  us.  I  do  not  doubt 
that  from  those  heights  the  eyes  of  the  enemy's 
spies  were  peering,  and  the  sight  of  our  gallant 
and  seemingly  invincible  army  must  have  startled 
and  disheartened  them.  And  as  I  looked  along 
the  ordered  ranks,  the  barrels  gleaming  at  a  single 
angle,  four  thousand  feet  moving  to  the  drum  tap, 
I  realized  more  deeply  than  ever  that  without 
training  and  discipline  an  army  could  not  exist. 

When  we  reached  the  second  ford,  about  one  in 
the  afternoon,  we  found  that  the  bank  was  not  yet 
made  passable  for  the  wagons  and  artillery,  so  we 


THE  LESSON   OF  THE   WILDERNESS      211 

drew  up  along  the  shingle  until  this  could  be  done. 
Pickets  were  posted  on  the  heights,  and  half  the 
force  kept  under  arms,  in  case  of  a  surprise. 
Spiltdorph  and  I  sauntered  together  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  watched  the  pioneers  busy  at  their  work. 
I  saw  that  my  companion  was  preoccupied,  and 
after  a  time  he  ceased  to  regard  the  men,  but  sat 
looking  afar  off  and  pitching  pebbles  into  the 
stream. 

"  Do  you  know,  Stewart,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I 
am  becoming  timid  as  a  girl.  I  told  you  I  had 
a  dream  last  night,  and  't  was  so  vivid  I  cannot 
shake  it  off." 

"  Tell  me  the  dream,"  I  said. 

"  I  dreamed  that  we  met  the  French,  and  that 
I  fell.  I  looked  up,  and  you  were  kneeling  over 
me.  But  when  I  would  have  told  you  what  I  had 
to  tell,  my  voice  was  smothered  in  a  rush  of 
blood." 

"  Oh,  come !  "  I  cried,  "  this  is  mere  foolishness. 
You  do  not  believe  in  dreams,  Spiltdorph  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  answered.  "  And  yet  I  never  had 
such  a  dream  as  this." 

"  Why,  man,"  I  said,  "  look  around  you.  Do 
you  see  any  sign  of  the  French  ?  And  yet  their 
fort  is  just  behind  the  trees  yonder." 

He  looked  at  me  in  silence  for  a  moment,  and 
made  as  if  to  speak,  but  the  tap  of  the  drum 
brought  us  to  our  feet. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  the  road  is  finished.  We 
shall  soon  see  what  truth  there  is  in  dreams." 

We   took  our  places  and   the  advance  began 


212  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

again.  First  the  Forty-Fourth  was  passed  over  and 
the  pickets  of  the  right.  The  artillery,  wagons,  and 
carrying  horses  followed,  and  then  the  provincial 
troops,  the  Forty-Eighth,  while  the  pickets  of  the 
left  brought  up  the  rear.  At  the  end  of  an  hour 
the  entire  force  was  safe  across,  and  as  yet  no  sign 
of  the  enemy.  Such  good  fortune  seemed  well- 
nigh  unbelievable,  for  we  had  been  assured  there 
was  no  other  place  between  us  and  the  fort  suited 
for  an  ambuscade. 

Our  company  halted  near  a  rude  cabin  which 
stood  upon  the  bank.  It  was  the  house  of  Fraser, 
the  trader,  where  Washington  and  Gist  had  found 
shelter  after  their  perilous  passage  of  the  Alle 
gheny  near  two  years  before.  We  had  been  there 
but  a  few  minutes  when  Colonel  Washington  him 
self  rode  up. 

"  Captain  Waggoner,"  he  said,  "  you  will  di 
vide  your  company  into  four  flank  parties,  and 
throw  them  well  out  to  the  left  of  the  line,  fifty 
yards  at  least.  See  that  they  get  to  their  places 
at  once,  and  that  they  keep  in  touch,  lest  they 
mistake  each  other  for  the  enemy." 

He  was  off  as  Waggoner  saluted,  and  I  heard 
him  giving  similar  orders  to  Peyronie's  company 
behind  us.  It  was  certain  that  the  general  was 
taking  no  chance  of  ambuscade,  however  safe  the 
road  might  seem.  We  were  soon  in  place,  Cap 
tain  Waggoner  himself  in  command  of  one  party, 
Spiltdorph  of  the  second,  I  of  the  third,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Wright  of  the  fourth.  As  we  took  our 
places,  I  could  see  something  of  the  disposition  of 


THE  LESSON   OF  THE  WILDERNESS      213 

our  force  and  the  contour  of  the  ground.  The 
guides  and  a  few  light  horse  headed  the  column, 
followed  by  the  vanguard,  and  the  advance  party 
under  Gage.  Then  came  St.  Glair's  working 
party,  two  fieldpieces,  tumbrels,  light  horse,  the 
general's  guard,  the  convoy,  and  finally  the  rear 
guard.  Before  us  stretched  a  fertile  bottom,  cov 
ered  by  a  fair,  open  walnut  wood,  with  very  little 
underbrush,  and  rising  gradually  to  a  higher  bot 
tom,  which  reached  to  a  range  of  hills  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  in  height.  Here  the  forest 
grew  more  closely,  the  underbrush  became  more 
dense,  and  a  great  thicket  of  pea-vines,  wild  grape, 
and  trailers  completely  shut  off  the  view. 

So  soon  as  the  line  was  formed,  the  drums  beat 
the  forward,  and  the  head  of  the  column  was  soon 
out  of  sight  among  the  trees,  St.  Glair's  working 
party  cutting  the  road  as  they  advanced.  We 
were  nearing  the  tangle  of  underbrush,  which  I 
thought  marked  the  course  of  a  stream,  when 
there  came  suddenly  a  tremendous  burst  of  firing 
from  the  front,  followed  by  a  great  uproar  of 
yells.  My  heart  leaped,  for  I  knew  the  French 
were  upon  us. 

"  Glose  up,  men  !  "  shouted  Waggoner.  "  Bring 
your  party  up  here,  Stewart !  " 

I  obeyed  the  order,  and  the  other  two  parties 
joined  us  in  a  moment.  Scarcely  had  they  done 
so,  when  the  thicket  in  front  of  us  burst  into 
flame,  and  three  or  four  men  fell.  The  others, 
well  used,  for  the  most  part,  to  this  kind  of  fight 
ing,  took  at  once  to  the  trees,  and  we  gradually 


214  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

worked  our  way  forward,  keeping  up  a  spirited  fire 
till  we  reached  the  shelter  of  a  huge  log,  which 
lay  at  the  edge  of  the  ravine.  As  I  looked  over 
it,  I  saw  that  the  gully  swarmed  with  Indians,  fir 
ing  at  the  main  body  of  the  troops,  who  seemed 
wedged  in  the  narrow  road.  I  could  see  no 
French,  and  so  judged  they  were  attacking  on  the 
other  side. 

"  We  've  got  'em  now !  "  yelled  Waggoner. 
"  Give  it  to  'em,  men !  "  and  we  poured  a  well-di 
rected  volley  into  the  yelling  mob. 

Fifteen  or  twenty  fell,  and  the  others,  affrighted 
at  the  unexpected  slaughter,  threw  down  their 
guns  and  started  to  run.  We  were  reloading 
with  feverish  haste,  when  from  the  woods  behind 
us  came  a  tremendous  volley.  We  faced  about  to 
receive  this  new  attack,  for  we  thought  the  French 
were  upon  us.  But  we  saw  with  horror  that  we 
were  being  fired  at  by  the  regulars,  who  had  taken 
us  for  the  enemy  in  their  madness,  and  were  pre 
paring  to  fire  again. 

"  You  fools  !  "  screamed  Waggoner.  "  Oh, 
you  fools ! "  and  white  with  rage,  he  gave  the 
order  to  retreat. 

A  moment  later,  as  I  looked  around,  I  saw  that 
Spiltdorph  was  not  with  us. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Where  is  Spilt 
dorph  ?  " 

Waggoner  motioned  behind  us. 

"He  was  hit,"  he  said.  "He  was  killed  by 
those  cowardly  assassins." 

"  Perhaps  he  is  not  dead  !  "  I  cried,  and  before 


THE   LESSON   OF  THE  WILDERNESS      215 

he  could  prevent  me,  I  ran  back  to  the  log.  Not 
less  than  twenty  dead  lay  near  it,  and  in  an  in 
stant  I  saw  my  friend.  I  dropped  beside  him, 
and  tore  away  his  shirt.  He  had  been  hit  in  the 
side  by  two  bullets,  and  as  I  saw  the  wounds,  I 
cursed  the  insensate  fools  who  had  inflicted  them. 
I  tried  to  stanch  the  blood,  and  as  I  raised  his 
head,  saw  his  eyes  staring  up  at  me. 

"  The  dream  !  "  he  cried.    "  The  dream  !    Stew 
art,  listen.     There  is  a   girl  —  at  Hampton  " 
A  rush  of  blood  choked  him.     He  tried  to  speak, 
clutched  at  my  sleeve,  and  then  his  head  fell  back, 
a  great  sigh  shook  him,  and  he  was  dead. 

The  Indians  were  pouring  back  into  the  ravine, 
and  I  knew  I  could  stay  no  longer.  So  I  laid 
him  gently  down,  and  with  my  heart  aching  as  it 
had  not  ached  since  my  mother  died,  made  my 
way  back  to  my  company.  "  There  is  a  girl,"  he 
had  said,  "at  Hampton."  What  was  it  he  had 
tried  to  tell?  Well,  if  God  gave  me  life,  I  would 
find  out. 

But  every  other  thought  was  driven  from  my 
mind  in  my  astonishment  and  horror  at  the  scene 
before  me.  Gage's  advance  party  had  given  way 
almost  at  the  first  fire,  just  as  Burton  was  forming 
to  support  them,  and  the  two  commands  were  min 
gled  in  hopeless  confusion.  The  officers  spurred 
their  horses  into  the  mob,  and  tried  in  vain  to 
form  the  men  in  some  sort  of  order.  The  colors 
were  advanced  in  different  directions,  but  there 
was  none  to  rally  to  them,  for  the  men  remained 
huddled  together  like  frightened  sheep.  And  all 


216  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

around  them  swept  that  leaden  storm,  whose 
source  they  could  not  see,  mowing  them  down  like 
grain.  They  fired  volley  after  volley  into  the 
forest,  but  the  enemy  remained  concealed  in  the 
ravines  on  either  side,  and  the  bullets  flew  harm 
less  above  their  heads. 

At  the  moment  I  joined  my  company,  General 
Braddock  rode  up,  cursing  like  a  madman,  and 
spurred  his  horse  among  the  men.  I  could  see 
him  giving  an  order,  when  his  horse  was  hit  and 
he  barely  saved  himself  from  falling  under  it. 
Another  horse  was  brought,  and  in  a  moment  he 
was  again  raving  up  and  down  the  lines. 

"  What  means  this  ? "  he  screamed,  coming 
upon  us  suddenly,  where  we  were  sheltering  our 
selves  behind  the  trees  and  replying  to  the  enemy's 
fire  as  best  we  could.  "  Are  you  all  damned  cow 
ards  ?  " 

"  Cowards,  sir ! "  cried  Waggoner,  his  face 
aflame.  "  What  mean  you  by  that  ?  " 

"Mean?"  yelled  Braddock.  "Damn  you,  sir, 
I  '11  show  you  what  I  mean  !  Come  out  from  be 
hind  those  trees  and  fight  like  men!  " 

"  Ay,  and  be  killed  for  our  pains  !  "  cried  Wag 
goner. 

"  What,  sir ! "  and  the  general's  face  turned 
purple.  "  You  dare  dispute  my  order  ?  "  and  he 
raised  his  sword  to  strike,  but  his  arm  was  caught 
before  it  had  descended. 

"  These  men  know  best,  sir,"  cried  Washington, 
reining  in  his  horse  beside  him.  "  This  is  the 
only  way  to  fight  the  Indians." 


STEWART,    LISTEN! 


THE   LESSON   OF  THE  WILDERNESS      217 

The  general  wrenched  his  arm  away  and,  fairly 
foaming  at  the  mouth,  spurred  his  horse  forward 
and  beat  the  men  from  behind  the  trees  with  the 
flat  of  his  sword. 

"  Back  into  the  road,  poltroons !  "  he  yelled. 
"  Back  into  the  road  !  I  '11  have  no  cowards  in 
my  army !  " 

Washington  and  Waggoner  watched  him  with 
set  faces,  while  the  men,  too  astounded  to  speak, 
fell  slowly  back  into  the  open.  Not  until  that 
moment  did  I  comprehend  the  blind  folly  of  this 
man,  determined  to  sacrifice  his  army  to  his  pride. 

We  fell  back  with  our  men,  and  there  in  the 
road  found  Peyronie,  with  the  remnant  of  his 
company,  his  face  purple  and  his  mouth  working 
with  rage.  All  about  us  huddled  the  white-faced 
regulars,  —  the  pride  of  the  army,  the  heroes  of  a 
score  of  battles  !  —  crazed  by  fright,  firing  into 
the  air  or  at  each  other,  seeing  every  moment 
their  comrades  falling  about  them,  killed  by  an 
unseen  foe.  I  turned  sick  at  heart  as  I  looked  at 
them.  Hell  could  hold  no  worse. 

Hotter  and  hotter  grew  the  fire,  and  I  realized 
that  it  was  not  the  French  attacking  us  at  all, 
but  only  their  Indian  allies.  Not  half  a  dozen 
Frenchmen  had  been  seen.  It  was  by  the  savages 
of  the  forest  that  the  best  troops  in  Europe  were 
being  slaughtered.  Sir  Peter  Halket  was  dead, 
shot  through  the  heart,  and  his  son,  stooping  to 
pick  him  up,  fell  a  corpse  across  his  body.  Shir 
ley  was  shot  through  the  brain.  Poison  was  dead. 
Totten,  Hamilton,  Wright,  Stone,  were  dead. 


218  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

Spenclelow  had  fallen,  pierced  by  three  bullets. 
The  ground  was  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded. 
Horses,  maddened  by  wounds,  dashed  through 
the  ranks  and  into  the  forest,  often  bearing  their 
riders  to  an  awful  death.  The  Indians,  growing 
bolder,  stole  from  the  ravines,  and  scalped  the 
dead  and  wounded  almost  before  our  eyes.  I 
began  to  think  it  all  a  hideous  nightmare.  Surely 
such  a  thing  as  this  could  not  really  be ! 

Colonel  Burton  had  succeeded  in  turning  some 
of  his  men  about  to  face  a  hill  at  our  right,  where 
the  enemy  seemed  in  great  number,  and  we  of 
Waggoner's  company  joined  him.  A  moment 
later,  Colonel  Washington,  who  alone  of  the  gen 
eral's  aides  was  left  unwounded,  galloped  up  and 
ordered  us  to  advance  against  the  hill  and  carry 
it.  With  infinite  difficulty,  a  hundred  men  were 
collected  who  would  still  obey  the  order.  As  we 
advanced,  the  enemy  poured  a  galling  fire  upon 
us.  A  ball  grazed  my  forehead  and  sent  a  rush 
of  blood  into  my  eyes.  I  staggered  forward,  and 
when  I  had  wiped  the  blood  away  and  looked 
about  me,  I  saw  with  amazement  that  our  men  had 
faced  about  and  were  retreating.  I  rushed  after 
them  and  joined  two  or  three  other  officers  who 
were  trying  to  rally  them.  But  they  were  deaf  to 
our  entreaties  and  would  not  turn. 

As  I  glanced  back  up  the  slope  down  which  we 
had  come,  I  saw  a  sight  which  palsied  me.  Colo 
nel  Burton  had  fallen,  seemingly  with  a  wound 
in  the  leg,  and  was  slowly  dragging  himself  back 
toward  the  lines.  Behind  him,  an  Indian  was 


THE  LESSON  OF  THE  WILDERNESS      219 

dodging  from  tree  to  tree,  intent  on  getting  his 
scalp.  Burton  saw  the  savage,  and  his  face  grew 
livid  as  he  realized  how  rapidly  he  was  being  over 
taken.  In  an  instant  I  was  charging  up  the 
slope,  and  ran  past  Burton  with  upraised  sword. 
The  Indian  saw  me  coming,  and  waited  calmly, 
tomahawk  in  air.  While  I  was  yet  ten  or  twelve 
paces  from  him,  I  saw  his  hand  quiver,  and  sprang 
to  one  side  as  the  blade  flashed  past  my  head. 
With  a  yell  of  disappointment,  the  Indian  turned 
and  disappeared  in  the  underbrush.  I  ran  back  to 
Burton,  and  stooped  to  raise  him. 

"  Allow  me  to  aid  you,  Lieutenant  Stewart," 
said  a  voice  at  my  elbow,  and  there  stood  Harry 
Marsh,  as  cool  as  though  there  were  not  an  Indian 
within  a  hundred  miles.  "  I  saw  you  turn  back," 
he  added,  "  and  thought  you  might  need  some 
help." 

I  nodded  curtly,  for  the  bullets  were  whistling 
about  us  in  a  manner  far  from  pleasing,  and  be 
tween  us  we  lifted  Burton  and  started  back  toward 
the  lines. 

"  My  left  leg  seems  paralyzed,"  he  said.  "  The 
bullet  must  have  struck  a  nerve.  If  I  could  get 
on  horseback,  I  should  be  all  right  again." 

And  then  he  staggered  and  nearly  fell,  for  Marsh 
lay  crumpled  up  in  a  heap  on  the  ground. 

"  He  is  dead,"  said  Burton,  as  I  stared  down  in 
horror  at  what  an  instant  before  had  been  a  brave, 
strong,  hopeful  human  being.  "  A  man  never  falls 
like  that  unless  he  is  dead.  He  was  doubtless  shot 
through  the  heart.  He  was  a  brave  boy.  Did  you 
know  him  ?  " 


220  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  His  name  was  Marsh,"  I  answered  hoarsely. 
"  He  was  my  cousin." 

"I  shall  not  forget  it,"  said  Burton,  and  we 
stood  a  moment  longer  looking  down  at  the 
dead. 

But  it  was  folly  to  linger  there,  and  we  con 
tinued  on,  I  helping  Burton  as  well  as  I  could. 
And  a  great  loathing  came  over  me  for  this  game 
called  war.  We  reached  the  lines  in  safety,  where 
Burton  was  taken  to  the  rear  and  given  surgical 
attention.  His  wound  was  not  a  bad  one,  and  half 
an  hour  later,  I  saw  that  he  had  made  good  his 
assertion  that  he  would  be  all  right  once  he  was 
on  horseback. 

In  the  mean  time,  affairs  had  gone  from  bad  to 
worse,  and  the  men  were  wholly  unnerved.  Those 
who  were  serving  the  artillery  were  picked  off, 
and  the  pieces  had  been  abandoned.  A  desperate 
effort  was  made  to  retake  them,  but  to  no  avail. 
The  Indians  had  extended  themselves  along  both 
sides  of  the  line,  and  had  sharply  attacked  the 
baggage  in  the  rear.  The  men  were  crowded  into 
a  senseless,  stupefied  mob,  their  faces  blanched 
with  horror  and  dripping  with  sweat,  too  terrified, 
many  of  them,  to  reload  their  firelocks.  The  gen 
eral-  rode  up  and  down  the  line,  exposing  himself 
with  the  utmost  recklessness,  but  the  men  were 
long  past  the  reach  of  discipline.  After  all,  human 
nature  has  its  depths  which  no  drill-master  can 
touch.  Four  horses  were  shot  under  him,  and  even 
while  I  cursed  his  folly,  I  could  not  but  admire  his 
courage.  Nor  was  the  conduct  of  his  officers  less 


THE  LESSON   OF  THE   WILDERNESS      221 

gallant.  Throwing  themselves  from  the  saddle, 
they  formed  into  platoons  and  advanced  against 
the  enemy,  but  not  even  by  this  desperate  means 
could  the  regulars  be  got  to  charge.  So  many 
officers  fell  that  at  last  it  was  as  difficult  to  find 
any  to  give  orders  as  to  obey  them,  and  when,  as  a 
last  desperate  resort,  the  general,  putting  his  pride 
in  his  pocket,  yielded  to  Washington's  advice,  and 
directed  that  the  troops  divide  into  small  parties 
and  advance  behind  the  trees  to  surround  the 
enemy,  there  was  none  to  execute  the  manoeuvre, 
which,  earlier  in  the  action,  would  have  saved  the 
day. 

It  was  plain  that  all  was  lost,  that  there  was 
nothing  left  but  to  retreat.  We  had  no  longer 
an  army,  but  a  mere  mob  of  panic-stricken  men. 
The  hideous  yelling  of  the  savages,  as  they  saw  the 
slaughter  they  were  doing  and  exulted  in  it,  the  rat 
tle  of  the  musketry,  the  groans  and  curses  of  the 
wounded  who  fell  everywhere  about  us,  the  screams 
of  the  maddened  horses,  combined  into  a  bedlam 
such  as  I  hope  never  to  hear  again.  Toward  the 
last,  the  Virginia  troops  alone  preserved  any  sem 
blance  of  order.  Away  off  to  the  right,  I  caught 
a  glimpse  of  Peyronie  rallying  the  remnant  of  his 
company,  and  I  looked  from  them  to  the  trembling 
regulars,  and  remembered  with  a  rush  of  bitterness 
how  they  had  laughed  at  us  a  month  before. 

Of  a  sudden  there  was  a  dash  of  hoofs  beside  me, 
and  I  saw  the  general  rein  up  beneath  a  tree  and 
look  up  and  down  the  field.  Colonel  Washington 
was  at  his  side,  and  seemed  to  be  unwounded, 


222  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

though  he  had  been  ever  where  the  fight  was 
thickest. 

"  This  is  mere  slaughter!  "  the  general  cried  at 
last.  "  We  can  do  no  more.  Colonel  Washington, 
order  the  retreat  sounded." 

And  as  the  drums  rolled  out  the  dismal  strain 
which  meant  disgrace  for  him  and  the  blighting  of 
all  his  hopes,  he  sat  his  horse  with  rigid  face  and 
eyes  from  which  all  life  had  fled.  He  had  been 
taught  the  lesson  of  the  wilderness. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

DEFEAT  BECOMES  DISHONOR 

BUT  there  was  worse  to  follow,  for  scarce  had  the 
first  tap  of  the  drums  echoed  among  the  trees,  when 
the  mob  of  regulars  became  a  mere  frenzied  rabble. 
The  officers  tried  to  withdraw  them  from  the  field 
in  some  semblance  of  order,  but  the  men  seemed 
seized  with  mad,  blind,  unreasoning  terror,  and 
were  soon  beyond  all  hope  of  control.  They  rushed 
from  the  field,  sweeping  their  officers  before  them, 
and  carrying  with  them  the  provincial  troops,  who 
would  have  stood  firm  and  behaved  as  soldiers 
should.  I  was  caught  in  one  edge  of  the  mob,  as  I 
tried  to  restrain  the  men  about  me,  and  flung  aside 
against  a  tree  with  such  force  that  I  stood  for  a 
moment  dazed  by  the  blow,  and  then  I  saw  I  was 
beneath  the  tree  where  Washington  and  Braddock 
sat  their  horses,  watching  with  grim  faces  the 
frenzied  crowd  sweep  past.  The  soldiers  flung  away 
their  guns  and  accoutrements,  their  helmets,  even 
their  coats,  that  they  might  flee  the  faster,  and  I 
saw  one  strike  down  a  young  subaltern  who  tried 
to  stay  them.  They  jostled  and  fell  over  one  an 
other  as  sheep  pursued  by  dogs.  I  saw  a  horse 
man,  his  head  bandaged  in  a  bloody  cloth,  trying 
to  make  way  toward  us  against  this  cursing  torrent, 


224  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  recognized  Captain  Orme.  But  he  was  dashed 
aside  even  as  I  had  been,  and  for  a  moment  I 
thought  he  had  been  torn  from  his  horse  and  trod 
den  underfoot.  Torn  from  his  horse  he  was,  in 
deed,  but  escaped  the  latter  fate,  for  some  moments 
later  he  came  to  us  on  foot  through  the  trees. 

"  Come,  sir,"  he  cried  to  the  general,  as  he  gained 
his  side,  "  you  must  leave  the  field.  There  is  no 
hope  of  getting  a  guard  from  among  these  cowards 
or  persuading  them  to  make  a  stand." 

Brad  dock  turned  to  answer  him,  but  as  he  did 
so,  threw  up  his  hands  and  fell  forward  into  the 
arms  of  his  aide.  I  sprang  to  Orme's  assistance, 
and  between  us  we  eased  him  down.  His  horse, 
doubtless  also  struck  by  a  ball,  dashed  off  scream 
ing  through  the  wood. 

"  They  have  done  for  me  !  "  he  groaned,  as  we 
placed  his  back  against  a  tree.  "  Curse  them,  they 
have  done  for  me." 

Washington,  who  had  left  his  horse  the  instant 
he  saw  the  general  fall,  knelt  and  rested  the 
wounded  man's  head  upon  his  knee,  and  wiped  the 
bloody  foam  from  off  his  lips. 

"  Where  are  you  hit  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Here,"  and  the  general  raised  his  left  hand 
and  touched  his  side.  "  'T  is  a  mortal  hurt,  and  I 
rejoice  in  it.  I  have  no  wish  to  survive  this  day's 
disgrace." 

He  cast  his  bloodshot  eyes  at  the  rabble  of  flee 
ing  men. 

"  And  to  think  that  they  are  soldiers  of  the 
line  !  "  he  moaned,  and  closed  his  eyes,  as  though 
to  shut  out  the  si^ht. 


DEFEAT  BECOMES  DISHONOR  225 

"  We  must  get  him  out  of  this,"  said  Orme 
quietly,  and  he  turned  away  to  call  to  some  of  the 
Forty-Eighth  who  were  rushing  past.  But  they 
did  not  even  turn  their  heads.  With  an  oath,  Orme 
seized  one  by  the  collar. 

"  A  purse  of  sixty  guineas  !  "  he  cried,  dangling 
it  before  his  eyes,  but  the  man  threw  him  fiercely 
off,  and  continued  on  his  way.  Orme  turned  back 
to  us,  his  face  grim  with  anger  and  despair. 

"  'T  is  useless,"  he  said.  "  We  cannot  stop 
them.  The  devil  himself  could  not  stop  them  now." 

The  general  had  lain  with  his  eyes  closed  and 
scarce  breathing,  so  that  I  thought  that  he  had 
fainted.  But  he  opened  his  eyes,  and  seemed  to 
read  at  a  glance  the  meaning  of  Orme's  set  face. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  more  gently  than  I  had 
ever  heard  him  speak,  "  I  pray  you  leave  me  here 
and  provide  for  your  own  safety.  I  have  but  a 
little  time  to  live  at  best,  and  the  Indians  will  be 
upon  us  in  a  moment.  Leave  them  to  finish  me. 
You  could  not  do  a  kinder  thing.  I  have  no  wish 
that  you  should  sacrifice  your  lives  so  uselessly  by 
remaining  here  with  me.  There  has  been  enough 
of  sacrifice  this  day." 

Yes,  he  was  a  gallant  man,  and  whatever  of 
resentment  had  been  in  my  heart  against  him  van 
ished  in  that  instant.  We  three  looked  into  each 
other's  eyes,  and  read  the  same  determination 
there.  We  would  save  the  general,  or  die  defend 
ing  him.  But  the  situation  was  indeed  a  desperate 
one. 

At  that  moment,  a  tumbrel  drawn  by  two  mad- 


226  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

dened  horses  dashed  by.  One  wheel  caught  against 
a  tree,  and  before  the  horses  could  get  it  free  or 
break  from  the  harness,  I  had  sprung  to  their 
heads. 

"  Quick !  "  I  cried,  "  I  cannot  hold  them  long." 
They  understood  in  a  moment,  and,  not  heeding 
the  general's  entreaties  and  commands  that  he  be 
left,  lifted  him  gently  into  the  cart.  Washington 
sprang  in  beside  him,  Orme  to  the  front,  and  in 
an  instant  I  was  clinging  to  the  seat  and  we  were 
tearing  along  the  road.  It  was  time,  for  as  I 
glanced  back,  I  saw  the  Indians  rushing  from  the 
wood,  cutting  down  and  scalping  the  last  of  the 
fugitives.  I  saw  that  Orme  was  suffering  from  his 
wound,  which  seemed  a  serious  one,  and  so  I 
took  the  lines,  which  he  relinquished  without  pro 
test,  and  held  the  horses  to  the  road  as  well  as  I 
was  able.  The  tumbrel  thundered  on,  over  rocks 
and  stumps  of  trees,  over  dead  men,  —  ay,  and 
living  ones,  I  fear,  —  to  the  river-bank,  where  a 
few  of  the  Virginia  troops,  held  together  by  Wag 
goner  and  Peyronie,  had  drawn  up.  It  did  my 
heart  good  to  see  them  standing  there,  so  cool  and 
self-possessed,  while  that  mob  of  regulars  poured 
past  them,  frenzied  with  fear.  And  the  thought 
came  to  me  that  never  hereafter  would  a  blue  coat 
need  give  precedence  to  a  red  one. 

We  splashed  down  into  the  water  and  across  the 
river  without  drawing  rein,  since  it  was  evident 
that  no  chance  of  safety  lay  on  that  side.  Wag 
goner  seemed  to  understand  what  was  in  the  cart, 
for  he  formed  his  men  behind  us  and  followed  us 


DEFEAT  BECOMES  DISHONOR  227 

across  the  river.  Scarcely  had  we  reached  the 
other  bank,  when  the  Indians  burst  from  the  trees 
across  the  water,  but  they  stopped  there  and  made 
no  further  effort  at  pursuit,  returning  to  the  battle 
ground  to  reap  their  unparalleled  harvest  of  scalps 
and  booty.  About  half  a  mile  from  the  river,  we 
brought  the  horses  to  a  stop  to  see  what  would  best 
be  done. 

"  The  general  commands  th/it  a  stand  be  made 
here,"  cried  Washington,  leaping  from  the  cart, 
and  Orme  jumped  down  beside  him,  while  I  se 
cured  the  horses. 

"  He  is  brave  and  determined  as  ever,"  said 
Washington  in  a  low  tone,  "  though  suffering  fear 
fully.  The  ball  has  penetrated  his  lung,  I  fear, 
for  he  can  breathe  only  with  great  agony,  and  is 
spitting  blood." 

Colonel  Burton  joined  us  at  that  moment,  and 
between  us  we  lifted  the  general  from  the  cart  and 
laid  him  on  a  bed  of  branches  on  the  ground. 

"  Eally  the  men  here,"  he  said,  setting  his  teeth 
to  keep  back  the  groan  which  would  have  burst 
from  him.  "  We  will  make  a  stand,  and  so  soon 
as  we  can  get  our  force  in  shape,  will  march  back 
against  the  enemy.  We  shall  know  better  how  to 
deal  with  them  the  second  time." 

We  turned  away  to  the  work  of  rallying  the  fugi 
tives,  but  the  task  was  not  a  light  one,  for  the  men 
seemed  possessed  with  the  fear  that  the  savages 
were  on  their  heels,  and  ran  past  us  without  heed 
ing  our  commands  to  halt.  At  last  we  got  to 
gether  above  a  hundred  men,  posted  sentries,  and 


228  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

prepared  to  spend  the  night.  Darkness  was  al 
ready  coming  on,  and  finally  Captain  Orme  and 
Colonel  Washington,  after  having  searched  in 
vain  for  Doctor  Craik,  themselves  washed  the 
general's  wound  and  dressed  it  as  best  they  could. 
They  found  that  the  ball  had  shattered  the  right  arm, 
and  then  passed  into  the  side,  though  how  deeply 
it  had  penetrated  they  had  no  means  of  telling. 

Despite  his  suffering,  he  thought  only  of  secur 
ing  our  position,  and  so  soon  as  his  wound  was 
dressed,  he  ordered  Captain  Waggoner  and  ten 
men  to  march  to  our  last  camp  and  bring  up  some 
provisions  which  had  been  left  there.  He  directed 
Colonel  Washington  to  ride  at  once  to  Colonel 
Dunbar's  camp,  and  order  up  the  reinforcements 
for  another  advance  against  the  French.  He  dic 
tated  a  letter  to  Dinwiddie  calling  for  more  troops, 
which  Washington  was  to  take  with  him,  and  for 
ward  by  messenger  from  Dunbar's  camp.  Though 
so  shaken  in  body  he  could  scarce  sit  upright  in 
the  saddle,  Washington  set  off  cheerfully  on  that 
frightful  journey.  Orme  and  I  watched  him  until 
he  disappeared  in  the  gloom. 

"  A  gallant  man,"  he  said,  as  we  turned  back  to 
the  rude  shelter  which  had  been  thrown  up  over 
the  place  where  the  general  lay.  "  I  do  not  think 
I  have  ever  seen  a  braver.  You  could  not  see  as 
I  could  the  prodigies  of  valor  he  performed  to-day. 
And  he  seems  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  for  though 
his  coat  was  pierced  a  dozen  times  and  two  horses 
were  killed  under  him,  he  has  escaped  without  a 
scratch." 


DEFEAT  BECOMES   DISHONOR  229 

We  walked  on  in  silence  until  we  reached  head 
quarters,  where  Colonel  Burton  was  also  sitting, 
suffering  greatly  from  his  wound  now  he  was  no 
longer  on  horseback. 

"  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said  to  me,  "  I  place 
you  in  charge  of  the  sentries  for  the  night.  Will 
you  make  the  rounds  and  see  that  all  is  well  ?  I 
know  the  men  are  weary,  but  I  need  hardly  tell 
you  that  our  safety  will  depend  upon  their  vigi 
lance.  Guard  especially  against  a  surprise  from 
the  direction  of  the  river." 

I  saluted,  and  started  away  to  make  the  round. 
The  sun  had  long  since  sunk  behind  the  trees  in 
a  cloud  of  blood-red  vapor,  which  seemed  to  me 
significant  of  the  day.  All  about  us  through  the 
forest  arose  the  chorus  of  night  sounds,  and  afar 
off  through  the  trees  I  could  catch  the  glinting  of 
the  river.  What  was  happening  beyond  it,  I  dared 
not  think.  And  then  I  came  to  a  sudden  stop, 
for  I  had  reached  the  spot  where  the  first  sentry 
had  been  posted,  but  there  was  none  in  sight. 

I  thought  for  a  moment  that  in  the  darkness  I 
must  have  missed  the  place,  but  as  I  looked  about 
me  more  attentively,  I  saw  that  could  not  be.  I 
walked  up  and  down,  but  could  find  no  trace  of 
him.  Could  it  be  that  the  Indians  had  stolen  upon 
him  and  killed  him  with  a  blow  of  knife  or  toma 
hawk  before  he  could  cry  out?  Yet  if  that  had 
happened,  where  was  the  body  ? 

I  hurried  on  toward  the  spot  where  the  next 
sentry  had  been  posted,  and  as  I  neared  it,  strained 
my  eyes  through  the  gloom,  but  could  see  no  trace 


230  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

of  him.  I  told  myself  that  I  was  yet  too  far  away, 
and  hurried  forward,  but  in  a  moment  I  had 
reached  the  place.  There  was  no  sentry  there. 
With  the  perspiration  starting  from  my  forehead, 
I  peered  among  the  trees  and  asked  myself  what 
mysterious  and  terrible  disaster  threatened  us. 
The  third  sentry  was  missing  like  the  others  —  the 
fourth  had  disappeared  —  I  made  the  whole  round 
of  the  camp.  Not  a  single  sentry  remained.  And 
then,  of  a  sudden,  the  meaning  of  their  absence 
burst  upon  me. 

I  hurried  back  to  the  camp,  passing  the  spot 
where  we  had  quartered  the  men  whom  we  had 
rallied,  but  who  were  not  placed  on  sentry  duty. 

As  I  expected,  not  one  was  there. 

"  All  is  well,  I  trust,  Lieutenant  Stewart  ? " 
asked  Colonel  Burton,  as  I  approached.  Then 
something  in  my  face  must  have  startled  him,  for 
he  asked  me  sharply  what  had  happened. 

"  I  fear  we  cannot  remain  here,  sir,"  I  said,  as 
calmly  as  I  could.  "  All  of  our  men  have  deserted 
us.  There  is  not  a  single  sentry  at  his  post ;  "  and 
I  told  him  what  I  had  found. 

He  listened  without  a  word  till  I  had  finished. 

"  You  will  get  the  tumbrel  ready  for  the  general, 
lieutenant,"  he  said  quietly.  "  I  will  report  this 
sad  news  to  him.  It  seems  that  our  defeat  is  to 
become  dishonor." 

I  put  the  horses  into  harness  again,  and  led 
them  to  the  place  where  the  general  lay.  He 
seemed  dazed  by  the  tidings  of  his  men's  desertion, 
and  made  no  protest  nor  uttered  any  sound  as  we 


DEFEAT  BECOMES   DISHONOR  231 

lifted  him  again  into  the  cart  and  set  off  through 
the  night.  We  soon  reached  the  second  ford,  and 
on  the  other  side  found  (Colonel  Gage,  who  had 
contrived  to  rally  about  eighty  men  and  hold  them 
there  with  him.  But  there  seemed  no  hope  of 
keeping  them  through  the  night,  so  we  set  forward 
again,  and  plunged  into  the  gloomy  forest. 

An  hour  later,  as  I  was  plodding  wearily  along 
beside  the  cart,  thinking  over  the  events  of  this 
tragic  day,  I  was  startled  by  a  white  face  peering 
from  beneath  the  upraised  curtain  out  into  the 
darkness.  It  was  the  stricken  man  within,  who 
was  surveying  the  remnant  of  that  gallant  army 
which,  a  few  short  hours  before,  had  passed  along 
this  road  so  gayly,  thinking  itself  invincible.  He 
held  himself  a  moment  so,  then  let  the  curtain 
drop  and  fell  back  upon  his  couch. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

ALLEN   AND   I    SHARE    HANDS 

OF  the  horrors  of  the  night  which  followed,  my 
pen  can  paint  no  adequate  picture.  Fugitives 
panted  past  us  in  the  darkness,  pursued  by  phan 
toms  of  their  own  imagining,  thinking  only  of  one 
thing  —  to  leave  that  scene  of  awful  slaughter  far 
behind.  The  wounded  toiled  on,  groaning  and 
cursing,  for  to  drop  to  the  rear  or  to  wander  from 
the  way  was  to  die,  if  not  by  knife  or  tomahawk, 
none  the  less  surely  by  hunger.  Here  and  there 
some  poor  wretch  who  could  win  no  farther  sat 
groaning  by  the  roadside  or  rolled  in  delirium 
upon  the  ground.  The  vast,  impenetrable  darkness 
of  the  forest  overshadowed  us,  full  of  threatening 
suggestion  and  peopled  with  nameless  terrors. 

Colonel  Gage  remained  with  us  with  such  of  his 
men  as  he  could  hold  together,  and  among  them 
I  saw  Lieutenant  Allen.  He  had  been  wounded 
in  the  shoulder,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  Captain 
Orme  mounted  the  tumbrel  and  drove  the  horses, 
while  I  walked  beside  it.  What  agonies  the  stricken 
man  within  endured,  tossed  from  side  to  side  as 
the  cart  bumped  along  the  rough  road,  through 
ruts  and  over  rocks  and  stumps  of  trees,  must  have 
been  beyond  description,  but  not  once  during  all 


ALLEN   AND   I   SHAKE   HANDS  233 

that  long  night  did  I  hear  a  groan  or  complaint 
from  him.  Once  he  asked  for  water,  and  as  Orme 
and  I  stooped  over  him  I  heard  him  murmur  as 
though  to  himself,  "  Who  would  have  thought  it  ?  " 
and  again,  "  Who  would  have  thought  it?"  Then 
he  drank  the  water  mechanically  and  lay  back,  and 
said  no  more. 

The  disaster  had  been  too  sudden,  too  unex 
pected,  too  complete,  for  any  of  us  to  fully  realize. 
It  seemed  impossible  that  this  handful  of  terror- 
stricken  fugitives  should  be  all  that  remained  of 
the  proud  army  to  which  we  had  belonged,  and 
that  this  army  had  been  defeated  by  a  few  hundred 
Indians.  Few  of  us  had  seen  above  a  dozen  of 
the  enemy,  —  we  of  Waggoner's  company  were  the 
only  ones  who  had  looked  down  upon  that  yelling 
mob  in  the  ravine,  — and  scarce  knew  by  whom  we 
had  been  slaughtered.  It  was  incredible  that  two 
regiments  of  the  best  troops  in  England  should 
have  been  utterly  routed  by  so  contemptible  a  foe. 
The  reason  refused  to  acknowledge  such  a  thing. 

I  was  plodding  along,  wearily  enough,  thinking 
of  all  this,  when  I  heard  my  name  called,  and 
glancing  up,  saw  Allen  looking  round  the  corner 
of  the  wagon  cover. 

"  Won't  you  come  up  here,  Lieutenant  Stew 
art?  "  he  asked.  "  There  is  ample  room  for  two,  and 
't  is  no  use  to  tire  yourself  needlessly." 

I  accepted  gratefully,  though  somewhat  aston 
ished  at  his  courtesy,  and  in  a  moment  was  on  the 
seat  beside  him.  He  fell  silent  for  a  time,  nor  was 
I  in  any  mood  for  talk,  for  Spiltdorph's  fate  and 


234  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

young  Harry  Marsh's  sudden  end  weighed  upon 
me  heavily. 

"  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  feel 
that  I  did  you  and  the  Virginia  troops  a  grave 
injustice  when  I  chose  to  question  their  courage. 
What  I  saw  to-day  has  opened  my  eyes  to  many 
things.  In  all  the  army,  the  Virginia  troops  were 
the  only  ones  who  kept  their  wits  about  them  and 
proved  themselves  men.  I  wish  to  withdraw  the 
expressions  I  used  that  night,  and  to  apologize  for 
them  most  sincerely." 

My  hand  was  in  his  in  an  instant. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  I  said.  "  I  have  thought 
more  than  once  since  then  that  we  were  both  too 
hasty." 

He  laughed,  —  a  short  laugh,  in  which  there 
was  no  mirth. 

"  I  think  there  are  many  of  us  who  have  been 
too  hasty  in  this  campaign,"  he  said.  "  It  is  easy 
enough  to  see  now  that  regulars  are  worth  little  in 
this  frontier  warfare,  where  their  manosuvres  count 
for  nothing,  and  that  the  provincials  should  have 
been  left  to  fight  in  their  own  fashion.  It  is  not 
a  pleasant  thought  that  all  my  work  in  drilling 
them  was  worse  than  wasted,  and  that  every  new 
mano3uvre  I  taught  them  impaired  their  efficiency 
by  just  so  much." 

"  'T  was  not  quite  so  bad  as  that,"  I  protested. 
"  The  Virginia  troops  have  much  to  thank  you  for, 
and  we  shall  know  better  how  to  deal  with  the 
enemy  next  time." 

"  Next  time  ?  "  he  repeated  despondently.  "  But 
when  will  next  time  be,  think  you  ?  " 


ALLEN  AND  I  SHAKE   HANDS  235 

"  Why,  at  once,  to  be  sure  !  "  I  cried.  "  We 
have  still,  with  Colonel  Dunbar's  companies,  over 
a  thousand  men.  So  soon  as  we  join  with  him, 
and  get  our  accoutrement  in  order,  we  can  march 
back  against  the  enemy,  and  we  shall  not  be  caught 
twice  in  the  same  trap." 

He  did  not  answer,  and  there  was  a  moment's 
silence.  I  glanced  at  his  face  and  saw  that  it  was 
very  grave. 

"  You  do  not  mean,"  I  asked,  with  a  great  fear 
at  my  heart,  "  that  you  think  it  possible  we  shall 
retreat  without  striking  another  blow  ?  " 

"  I  fear  it  is  only  too  possible,"  he  answered 
gloomily.  "  If  the  general  lives,  he  may  order 
another  advance  ;  indeed,  I  am  sure  he  will,  in  the 
hope  of  saving  some  fragment  of  his  reputation. 
But  if  he  dies,  as  seems  most  likely,  Colonel  Dun- 
bar,  who  succeeds  to  the  command,  is  not  the  man 
to  imperil  his  prestige  by  taking  such  a  risk." 

"  Risk  ?  "  I  cried.  "  How  is  thi«  any  greater 
than  the  risk  we  took  at  the  outset  ?  " 

"  You  forget,  lieutenant,"  said  Allen,  "  that  all 
of  our  equipment  was  left  on  the  field.  The  men 
flung  away  their  arms,  many  of  them  even  the 
clothes  upon  their  backs.  Everything  was  aban 
doned,  —  the  general's  private  papers,  and  even  the 
military  chest,  with  X 10, 000  in  it.  These  losses 
will  not  be  easily  repaired." 

I  could  not  but  admit  the  truth  of  this,  and  said 
as  much. 

"And  then,"  continued  Allen,  still  more  gloom 
ily,  "  we  have  suffered  another  loss  which  can  never 


236  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

be  made  good.  The  morale  of  the  men  is  gone. 
They  have  no  longer  the  confidence  in  themselves 
which  a  winning  army  must  have.  I  doubt  if 
many  of  them  could  be  got  to  cross  the  Mononga- 
hela  a  second  time." 

Yes,  that  was  also  true,  and  we  fell  silent,  each 
busy  with  his  own  thoughts.  It  seemed  too  hor 
rible,  too  utterly  fantastic.  At  last  came  the  dawn, 
and  the  light  of  the  morning  disclosed  us  to  each 
other.  As  I  looked  about  me,  I  wondered  if  these 
scarecrows,  these  phantoms  of  men,  could  be  the 
same  who  had  gone  into  battle  in  all  the  pride  of 
manhood  and  pageantry  of  arms  the  day  before. 
Orme  was  ghastly,  with  his  bandaged  head  and 
torn,  mud-stained  uniform,  and  as  I  looked  at  him, 
I  recalled  sadly  the  gallant  figure  I  had  met  at 
Fort  Necessity.  Nor  were  the  others  better.  Hag 
gard  faces,  bloodshot  eyes,  lips  drawn  with  suffer 
ing,  hair  matted  with  blood,  —  all  the  grim  and  re 
volting  realities  of  defeat  were  there  before  us,  and 
no  longer  to  be  denied.  And  I  realized  that  I  was 
ghastly  as  any.  A  bullet  had  cut  open  my  fore 
head,  leaving  a  livid  gash,  from  which  the  blood 
had  dried  about  my  face.  I  had  lost  my  hat,  and 
my  uniform  was  in  tatters  and  stained  with  blood. 

We  soon  met  the  men  who  had  gone  forward 
with  Waggoner  to  secure  us  some  supplies,  and 
halted  by  a  little  brook  to  wash  our  injuries.  Cap 
tain  Orme  and  some  others  attended  as  well  as  they 
were  able  to  the  general,  and  gave  him  a  little 
food,  which  was  all  too  scarce,  barely  sufficient  for 
a  single  meal.  Fortunately,  Doctor  Craik,  who  had 


ALLEN   AND   I   SHAKE   HANDS  237 

learned  that  the  general  was  wounded,  came  up 
soon  after,  and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
injury.  He  came  away,  when  he  had  finished,  with 
grave  face,  and  told  us  there  was  little  hope,  as 
the  wound  was  already  much  inflamed  and  fevered, 
and  the  general  was  able  to  breathe  only  with  great 
agony.  He  said  there  could  be  no  question  that 
the  ball  had  entered  the  lung.  The  general  fancied 
that  he  would  be  easier  on  horseback,  so  when  the 
march  was  begun  again,  he  was  mounted  on  the 
horse  Orme  had  been  riding,  but  after  half  an 
hour  his  pain  grew  so  intense  that  he  had  to  be 
taken  down.  It  was  evident  that  he  could  not  en 
dure  the  jolting  of  the  cart,  and  we  finally  rigged 
up  a  sort  of  litter  out  of  a  portion  of  the  tumbrel 
top,  and  the  men  took  turns  in  bearing  him  on  this 
between  them. 

Daylight  b'anished  much  of  the  terror  of  the 
night,  and  as  we  toiled  onward,  we  began  to  talk  a 
little,  each  to  tell  what  part  he  had  seen  of  the 
battle.  It  was  here  that  I  heard  the  story  of 
Harry  Gordon,  the  engineer  who  had  been  mark 
ing  out  the  road  in  advance  of  the  column,  and  who 
had  first  seen  the  enemy.  They  had  appeared  sud 
denly,  coming  through  the  wood  at  a  run,  as  though 
hurrying  from  the  fort,  and  led  by  a  man  whose 
silver  gorget  and  gayly  fringed  hunting-shirt  at  once 
bespoke  the  chief.  So  soon  as  he  saw  Gordon,  he 
halted  and  waved  his  hat  above  his  head,  and  the 
rabble  of  savages  at  his  heels  had  dispersed  to  right 
and  left  and  disappeared  as  if  by  magic.  An  in 
stant  later  came  a  tremendous  rifle  fire  from  either 


238  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

flank,  which  cut  Gage's  troops  to  pieces.  They 
had  rallied  and  returned  the  fire  with  spirit,  so  that 
for  a  time  the  issue  hung  in  the  balance  ;  but  the 
terrible  fire  to  which  they  were  subjected  was  too 
much  for  any  discipline  to  withstand,  and  they  had 
finally  given  way  in  confusion,  just  as  Burton  was 
forming  to  support  them. 

It  was  not  until  long  afterward  that  I  heard  the 
French  story  of  the  fight,  but  I  deem  it  best  to 
set  it  down  here.  As  our  army  had  approached 
through  the  wilderness,  the  Indians  who  lurked 
upon  our  flanks  had  carried  greatly  exaggerated 
stories  of  our  strength  to  Fort  Duquesne,  and  M.  de 
Contrecosur  prepared  to  surrender  on  terms  of  hon 
orable  capitulation,  deeming  it  mere  madness  to 
oppose  a  force  so  overwhelming  in  strength  and  so 
well  disciplined.  To  the  French  the  reputation  of 
General  Braddock  and  of  the  Forty-Fourth  and 
Forty-Eighth  regiments  of  the  line  was  well  known 
and  commanded  the  greatest  respect.  On  the 
eighth  of  July,  it  was  reported  that  the  English 
were  only  a  few  miles  from  the  fort,  which  they 
would  probably  invest  the  next  day,  and  M.  de 
Beaujeu,  a  captain  of  the  regulars,  asked  the  com 
mandant  for  permission  to  prepare  an  ambuscade 
and  contest  the  second  passage  of  the  Monongahela. 
Contrecceur  granted  the  request  with  great  reluc 
tance,  and  only  on  condition  that  Beaujeu  obtain 
the  assistance  of  the  Indians,  of  whom  there  were 
near  a  thousand  camped  about  the  fort.  Accord 
ingly,  Beaujeu  at  once  called  the  warriors  to  a 
council,  and  urged  that  they  accompany  him  against 


ALLEN   AND   I   SHAKE   HANDS  239 

the  English  on  the  morrow.  They  received  his 
proposition  with  marked  coldness,  and  according  to 
the  Indian  custom,  asked  until  morning  to  consider 
their  reply.  In  the  morning,  the  council  was  called 
together  again,  and  the  Indians  refused  to  take 
part  in  the  expedition.  At  that  moment  a  runner 
burst  in  upon  them  and  announced  that  the  enemy 
was  at  hand.  Beaujeu,  who  knew  well  the  inflam 
mable  nature  of  his  hearers,  was  on  his  feet  in  an 
instant. 

"  I,"  he  cried,  "  am  determined  to  go  out  against 
the  enemy.  I  am  certain  of  victory.  What ! 
Will  you  suffer  your  father  to  depart  alone  ?  " 

It  was  the  one  spark  needed  to  set  the  Indians 
on  fire.  They  were  frantic  with  excitement.  Bar 
rels  of  bullets  and  casks  of  powder  were  rolled  from 
the  fort,  and  their  heads  knocked  out,  so  that  each 
Indian  could  take  what  he  needed.  War  paint 
was  donned,  and  in  an  hour  the  band,  nine  hun 
dred  strong,  of  whom  near  seven  hundred  were 
Indians  and  the  remainder  Canadians  and  regulars, 
set  off  silently  through  the  forest.  Beaujeu  calcu 
lated,  at  the  most,  on  giving  us  a  severe  check  as 
we  crossed  the  second  ford,  but  long  ere  he  reached 
the  river,  the  beating  of  the  drums  and  the  tramp 
of  the  approaching  army  told  him  that  he  was  too 
late,  and  that  we  had  already  crossed.  Quickening 
their  pace  to  a  run,  in  a  moment  they  came  upon 
our  vanguard,  and  as  Beaujeu  gave  the  signal,  the 
Indians  threw  themselves  into  two  ravines  on  our 
flanks,  while  the  Canadians  and  French  held  the 
centre.  The  first  volley  of  Gage's  troops  killed 


240  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

Beaujeu,  and  was  so  tremendous  that  it  frightened 
the  Indians,  who  turned  to  flee.  But  they  were 
rallied  by  a  few  subalterns,  and  finding  that  the 
volleys  of  the  regulars  did  little  damage  except  to 
the  trees,  returned  to  the  attack,  and  during  the 
whole  engagement  were  perfectly  sheltered  in  the 
ravines,  rifle  and  artillery  fire  alike  sweeping  above 
them.  They  lost  altogether  but  twenty-five  or 
thirty  men,  and  most  of  these  fell  before  the  volley 
which  we  of  Waggoner's  company  had  fired  into 
the  ravine. 

After  our  retreat,  no  pursuit  was  attempted,  the 
Indians  busying  themselves  killing  and  scalping 
the  wounded  and  gathering  up  the  rich  booty 
which  the  army  had  left  behind.  They  decked 
themselves  in  British  uniforms,  stuck  the  tall  caps 
of  the  grenadiers  above  their  painted  faces,  wound 
neck,  wrist,  and  ankle  with  gold  lace,  made  the 
wood  to  echo  with  the  dreadful  scalp-halloo.  Such 
an  orgy  of  blood  they  never  had  before ;  not  an 
other  such  will  they  ever  have. 

One  other  horror  must  I  record,  which  chokes 
me  even  yet  to  think  of.  A  score  of  regulars, 
surrounded  by  savages  and  cut  off  in  their  retreat 
from  the  remainder  of  the  army,  yielded  them 
selves  captive  to  the  victors,  thinking  to  be  treated 
as  prisoners  of  war  have  ever  been  in  Christian 
nations.  But  the  Indians  knew  only  their  own 
bloodthirsty  customs.  Half  of  the  captives  were 
tomahawked  on  the  spot.  The  others  were  stripped 
of  clothing,  their  faces  blackened,  their  hands 
bound  behind  them,  and  were  driven  forward  to 


ALLEN   AND   I  SHAKE   HANDS  241 

the  Allegheny,  where,  just  across  from  Fort  Du- 
quesne,  a  stake  had  been  set  in  the  river's  bank. 
Arrived  there,  the  prisoners  began  to  understand 
the  fate  prepared  for  them,  yet  they  could  not 
believe.  A  hundred  yards  away  across  the  river 
stood  the  walls  of  the  fort,  crowded  with  soldiers, 
the  fair  lilies  of  France  waving  lazily  above  their 
heads.  Calmly  they  watched  the  terrible  prepara 
tions, —  Contreco3ur,  Dumas,  and  all  the  others,  — 
and  not  one  raised  a  hand  to  rescue  those  unhappy 
men,  or  uttered  a  word  to  mitigate  their  torture. 
From  dark  to  dawn  the  flames  shimmered  across 
the  water,  —  for  the  English  went  to  their  fate 
singly,  —  and  things  were  done  to  turn  one  sick 
with  horror ;  yet  did  the  French  look  tranquilly 
from  their  bastions  and  joke  one  to  another.  Our 
flag,  thank  God,  has  never  been  sullied  by  a  deed 
like  that ! 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  Indians  started 
westward  to  their  homes,  laden  with  booty,  sated 
with  slaughter,  leaving  the  French  to  take  care 
of  themselves  as  best  they  might.  The  latter  re 
mained  for  a  week  in  great  fear  of  another  attack, 
which  they  would  have  been  quite  unable  to  with 
stand,  little  thinking  that  our  army  was  fleeing  back 
to  the  settlements  with  feet  winged  by  an  unreason 
ing  terror. 

We  reached  Gist's  plantation  at  ten  o'clock  on 
the  night  of  the  tenth,  and  here  we  were  compelled 
to  stop  because  of  our  own  exhaustion  and  the 
great  suffering  of  the  general.  And  here,  early 
the  next  morning,  came  Colonel  Washington,  sit- 


242  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

ting  his  cushioned  saddle  like  some  gaunt  spectre, 
and  bringing  with  him  wagons  loaded  with  provi 
sion.  The  general  still  persisted  in  the  exercise  of 
his  duties,  despite  his  suffering,  and  he  at  once  de 
tailed  a  party  to  proceed  toward  the  Monongahela 
with  a  supply  of  food,  for  the  succor  of  the  strag 
glers  and  the  wounded  who  had  been  left  behind, 
—  a  duty  which  was  ill  fulfilled  because  of  the 
cowardice  of  those  to  whom  it  was  intrusted. 
Meanwhile  we  pushed  on,  and  reached  Dunbar's 
camp  that  night. 

We  found  it  in  the  utmost  confusion.  At  five 
o'clock  on  the  morning  after  the  battle,  a  teamster, 
who  had  cut  loose  his  horse  and  fled  at  the  first 
onset,  had  ridden  madly  into  the  camp  crying  that 
the  whole  army  was  destroyed  and  he  alone  sur 
vived.  At  his  heels  came  other  teamsters,  for  with 
an  appalling  cowardice,  which  makes  me  blush  for 
my  countrymen,  they  had  one  and  all  cut  loose 
their  teams  at  the  first  fire,  and  selecting  the  best 
horse,  had  fled  precipitately  from  the  field.  Toward 
noon,  Colonel  Washington  had  arrived,  bringing 
the  first  accurate  news  of  the  disaster,  and  at  once 
setting  on  foot  the  relief  expedition.  After  him 
came  troops  of  haggard,  toil-worn,  famished  men, 
without  arms,  bewildered  with  terror,  fearing  a 
second  ambuscade  at  every  step,  and  with  the  yells 
of  the  Indians  still  ringing  in  their  ears.  The 
news  of  the  disaster  and  the  incoherent  stories  of 
these  half-crazed  fugitives  spread  consternation 
through  the  camp.  Men  deserted  by  scores  and 
started  hot-foot  for  the  settlements,  and  all  pre- 


243 

tense  of  discipline  vanished.  Nor  did  the  arrival 
of  the  general  greatly  better  matters.  He  was  fast 
sinking,  and  long  periods  of  delirium  sapped  his 
strength.  It  was  evident  that  the  end  was  near. 

On  the  morning  of  the  twelfth,  I  was  engaged 
in  collecting  such  of  the  Virginia  troops  as  I  could 
find  about  the  camp,  when  I  saw  Colonel  Wash 
ington  approaching  with  a  face  so  gloomy  that  I 
foresaw  some  new  disaster. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked,  almost  before  he  had 
reached  me. 

"  Have  you  not  heard  ?  "  and  he  looked  mean 
ingly  back  toward  a  spring  near  which  a  number 
of  men  were  unheading  some  casks.  "  We  are  to 
destroy  all  our  powder  and  stores,  burn  our  wagons, 
and  flee  back  to  the  settlements,  like  so  many  chil 
dren." 

"  Why,  't  is  folly !  "  I  cried.  "  'T  is  monstrous ! 
Who  gave  such  an  order  ?  " 

"  I  know  not,"  and  Washington  smiled  bitterly. 
"  It  is  certain  that  the  general  did  not,  since  he 
has  been  raving  with  fever  all  the  night.  Besides, 
his  one  thought  has  been  to  march  back  against 
the  French  the  instant  he  could  get  his  troops 
together.  Come,  walk  over  with  me  and  let  us 
watch  this  unhappy  work." 

I  followed  him,  and  witnessed  a  sight  which  filled 
me  with  speechless  anger  and  indignation.  Powder 
casks  were  being  knocked  open  and  their  contents 
cast  into  the  spring,  cohorns  broken,  shells  burst, 
provisions  destroyed,  and  upwards  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  wagons  burned.  I  remembered  bitterly  what 


244  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

work  we  had  had  to  obtain  those  wagons.  Such 
a  scene  of  senseless  and  wanton  destruction  I  had 
never  seen  before,  and  hope  never  to  see  again.  A 
frenzy  of  terror  seemed  to  possess  officers  and  men 
alike,  and  I  turned  away,  raging  at  heart,  to  think 
that  to  such  men  as  these  had  been  intrusted  the 
defense  of  our  country.  At  last  the  work  of  de 
struction  was  complete.  With  barely  enough  pro 
vision  to  carry  us  to  Fort  Cumberland,  and  with 
no  ammunition  save  that  in  our  cartouch  boxes, 
the  retreat  commenced,  if  the  flight  of  a  disordered 
and  frenzed  rabble  can  be  dignified  by  such  a 
name. 


CHAPTER  XX 

BRADDOCK   PAYS   THE   PRICE 

IT  was  the  morning  of  Sunday,  July  13,  that 
this  shameful  flight  began.  Its  arrant  cowardice 
weighed  on  many  of  the  officers  who  were  left  alive, 
and  even  on  some  of  the  men,  especially,  I  am  glad 
to  say,  on  many  of  the  Virginians.  Whose  fault 
was  it?  Well,  Colonel  Dunbar  was  in  command, 
since  the  general  was  no  longer  conscious,  and 
must  take  the  blame. 

Colonel  Washington  had  asked  me  to  remain 
near  him,  if  possible.  He  had  secured  me  a  horse, 
and  together  with  Captain  Orme,  who  was  no 
less  depressed,  we  formed  the  escort  to  the  litter 
whereon  lay  the  dying  man.  Doctor  Craik  came 
to  us  from  time  to  time,  but  the  general  was  far 
beyond  human  aid.  I  had  never  respected  him  so 
much  as  in  this  hour,  for  of  his  downright  valor  I 
had  had  every  proof.  If  only  his  pride  had  been  a 
little  less,  that  his  valor  might  have  counted  !  It 
was  while  I  was  riding  thus,  absorbed  in  melan 
choly  thought,  that  a  horse  cantered  up  beside  me, 
and  looking  up,  I  saw  Lieutenant  Allen. 

"  Confess  I  was  a  true  prophet,  Lieutenant 
Stewart,"  he  remarked,  with  a  sorry  attempt  at  a 
smile,  "  though  damme  if  I  could  have  foretold 


246  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

that  act  of  folly  back  yonder  !  You  see,  I  know 
our  new  commander  better  than  do  you." 

"  So  it  seems,"  I  answered,  and  at  that  moment 
caught  Colonel  Washington's  astonished  eyes  fixed 
upon  us.  Allen  followed  my  glance,  and  smiled 
as  he  saw  the  expression  of  Washington's  face. 

"  He  cannot  understand  our  friendliness,"  he 
laughed.  "  He  is  doubtless  wondering  if  we  are 
arranging  the  preliminaries  for  the  desperate 
encounter  for  which  we  were  booked.  Let  me 
explain  the  situation  to  him,"  and  he  spurred  to 
Washington's  side.  "  I  had  occasion  to  say  to 
Lieutenant  Stewart  a  few  evenings  ago,"  he  said, 
"  that  I  had  been  grievously  mistaken  in  my  esti 
mate  of  his  courage,  and  that  of  the  Virginia  com 
panies,  and  that  I  was  truly  sorry  that  I  had  ever 
questioned  them.  In  the  light  of  to-day's  event,  I 
am  still  more  sorry,  and  I  wish  to  add  to  you, 
Colonel  Washington,  that  I  regret  the  words  I  used 
to  you,  and  that  I  sincerely  ask  your  pardon." 

"  'T  is  granted  with  all  my  heart !  "  cried  Wash 
ington,  his  face  illumined  with  that  fine  smile 
which  always  lighted  it  before  any  deed  of  courage 
or  gentleness,  and  the  two  shook  hands  warmly. 
"  'T  was  granted  before  you  asked  it.  I  am  not 
such  a  fire-eater  as  Tom,  back  there.  I  have  re 
gretted  that  foolish  quarrel  many  times,  and  had 
determined  that  it  should  not  lead  to  another 
meeting  between  you,  which  would  have  been  mere 
folly.  Come  here,  sir,"  he  called  to  me.  "  I  wish 
to  tell  you  how  pleased  I  am  that  this  quarrel  has 
been  adjusted." 


BRADPOCK  PAYS   THE   PRICE  247 

"  No  more  pleased  than  I,  I  assure  you,  colonel," 
I  laughed.  "  Lieutenant  Allen  gave  me  a  sample 
of  his  swordsmanship  I  shall  not  soon  forget.  I 
should  have  been  as  helpless  before  him  as  a  lamb 
in  the  jaws  of  a  tiger." 

"  Now  you  are  mocking  me  !  "  cried  Allen,  and 
as  I  related  to  Colonel  Washington  the  story  of 
his  little  bout  with  Langlade,  we  rode  on  laughing, 
the  best  of  friends. 

"  But,  believe  me,  Lieutenant  Stewart,"  he  said, 
when  I  had  finished,  "  it  was  not  self-complacency 
which  urged  me  to  take  up  the  foils  that  day.  I 
merely  wished  to  show  you  that  you  had  need  to 
keep  in  practice,  and  so  prevent  you  from  becom 
ing  over-sure." 

"  'T  was  well  done,"  said  Washington  heartily. 
"  I  appreciate  your  conduct,  Lieutenant  Allen." 

"  And  I  certainly  took  the  lesson  to  heart,"  I 
laughed.  "  Just  before  you  came,  I  had  conceived 
a  most  exalted  opinion  of  my  own  abilities.  I 
shall  not  make  the  mistake  a  second  time." 

Presently  Allen  fell  back  to  rejoin  the  rear 
guard,  with  which  he  had  been  stationed,  and  we 
rode  on  beside  the  general's  litter.  He  was  delir 
ious  most  of  the  time,  and  was  fighting  the  battle 
of  the  Monongahela  over  and  over  again,  giving 
orders  and  threshing  from  side  to  side  of  his  couch 
in  his  agony.  In  one  of  his  intervals  of  conscious 
ness,  he  called  my  companion  to  him. 

"  Colonel  Washington,"  he  said  in  a  low  tone, 
"  I  feel  that  I  have  done  you  great  injustice.  Had 
I  followed  your  advice,  this  catastrophe  might  not 


248  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

have  happened.  But  my  eyes  were  not  opened 
until  too  late.  Had  I  lived,  I  should  not  have 
forgot  you.  I  am  sure  you  cannot  withhold  your 
pardon  from  a  dying  man." 

Washington's  lips  were  trembling  as  he  bent 
over  the  litter. 

"  If  there  is  anything  to  pardon,  general,"  he 
said  softly,  "be  sure  I  pardon  you  with  all  my 
heart.  You  have  the  love  of  all  your  officers,  sir, 
who  revere  you  as  a  brave  and  gallant  man." 

"  Ay,  but  a  proud  and  stubborn  one,"  and  he 
smiled  sadly.  "  Would  God  I  had  had  the  grace 
to  see  it  while  it  was  yet  time.  Colonel  Washing 
ton,"  he  added,  "  I  wish  you  to  have  my  charger, 
Bruce,  and  my  body  servant,  Bishop.  These  two 
gentlemen  are  witnesses  that  I  give  them  to  you." 

Orme  and  I  bowed  our  assent,  and  Washington 
thanked  him  with  a  trembling  voice.  He  was  soon 
wandering  again,  this  time,  apparently,  among  the 
scenes  of  his  earlier  manhood. 

"Messieurs  de  la  Guard  Franchise,"  he  cried, 
"  tirez,  s'il  vous  plait !  " 

"  Ah,"  murmured  Orme,  "  he  is  at  Fontenoy." 

And  again,  — 

"  Poor  Fanny,  I  always  thought  she  would  play 
till  she  would  be  forced  to  tuck  herself  up." 

"  She  was  his  sister,"  said  Orme,  answering 
our  questioning  glances.  "She  ruined  herself  at 
cards  and  then  hanged  herself.  It  was  a  sad 
story." 

And  yet  again, — 

"  No,  I  '11  not  take  your  purse  !  "  he  cried  ;  and 


BRADDOCK  PAYS  THE   PRICE  249 

then  after  a  moment,  "  nor  ask  my  life  at  your 
hands.  Do  what  you  will." 

I  could  bear  no  more,  and  rode  forward  out 
of  earshot.  To  see  this  gallant  man  lying  there, 
slowly  dying,  bereft  at  one  stroke  of  life  and  that 
far  dearer  to  him  than  life,  his  military  reputation, 
moved  me  as  few  things  had  ever  done.  He  had 
another  lucid  interval  toward  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  and  warmly  praised  the  conduct  of  his 
officers. 

"  They  were  gallant  boys,  every  one,"  he  said. 
"  They  did  their  duty  as  brave  men  should.  How 
many  of  them  fell?"  he  asked  suddenly,  turning 
to  Orme. 

"  Sixteen,"  answered  Orme  sadly. 

"  And  how  many  were  wounded  ?  " 

"  Forty-seven." 

"  Sixty-three,  —  and  there  were  only  eighty- 
nine,"  and  Braddock  sighed  heavily.  "  And  how 
went  it  with  the  men  ?  " 

Orme  hesitated,  fearing  to  disclose  the  extent 
of  the  disaster,  but  the  general's  eyes  were  on  his 
and  would  take  no  denial. 

"  They  suffered  very  heavily,"  said  Orme  at 
last.  "  Less  than  five  hundred  escaped  unharmed. 
All  of  the  wounded  who  remained  on  the  field 
were  killed  by  the  Indians." 

"  And  we  went  into  battle  with  near  fifteen  hun 
dred  men,"  said  Braddock.  "  Why,  it  was  mere 
slaughter.  There  has  never  an  army  gone  into 
battle  which  lost  such  proportion  of  its  numbers. 
Ah,  well,  I  shall  soon  join  them.  And  they  are 


250  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

happier  than  I,  for  they  went  to  their  end  honored 
and  applauded,  whilst  I  am  a  broken  and  ruined 
man,  who  will  be  remembered  only  to  be  cursed." 

He  turned  his  head  away  from  us,  and  a  great 
tear  rolled  down  his  cheek.  Orme  was  crying  like 
a  child,  and  made  no  effort  to  conceal  it,  nor  were 
Washington  and  I  less  moved. 

"  At  least,"  he  said  at  last,  turning  back  to  us 
with  a  smile,  "  it  were  better  to  have  died  than  to 
have  lived.  I  am  glad  I  do  not  have  to  live." 

He  soon  lapsed  again  into  delirium,  and  seemed 
to  be  living  over  a  second  time  a  meeting  with 
some  woman. 

"  Dear  Pop,"  he  said,  "  we  are  sent  like  sacri 
fices  to  the  altar.  They  have  given  me  a  handful 
of  men  and  expect  me  to  conquer  whole  nations. 
I  know  that  I  shall  never  see  you  more.  Good-by, 
Pop,  and  God  bless  you." 

Orme  turned  away  for  a  moment  to  master  his 
emotion. 

"  'T  was  his  last  night  in  London,"  he  said  when 
he  could  speak.  "  He  was  to  set  out  on  the  mor 
row,  and  he  asked  Colonel  Burton  and  myself  to  go 
with  him  to  visit  a  very  dear  protegee  of  his,  George 
Anne  Bellamy,  the  actress,  to  whom,  I  think,  he 
has  left  all  his  property.  He  used  to  her  almost 
the  same  words  he  has  just  repeated." 

"  So  he  had  doubts  of  his  success,"  said  Wash 
ington  musingly.  "  Well,  he  was  a  brave  man, 
for  he  never  permitted  them  to  be  seen." 

He  was  fast  growing  weaker.  His  voice  fal 
tered  and  failed,  and  he  lay  without  movement  in 


BRADDOCK  PAYS   THE  PRICE  251 

his  litter,  continuing  so  until  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  We  had  halted  for  the  night,  and  had 
gathered  about  his  couch,  watching  him  as  his 
breathing  grew  slowly  fainter.  At  last,  when  we 
thought  him  all  but  gone,  he  opened  his  eyes,  and 
seeing  the  ring  of  anxious  faces  about  him,  smiled 
up  at  them. 

"  It  is  the  end,"  he  said  quietly.  "  You  will 
better  know  how  to  deal  with  them  next  time  ;  " 
and  turning  his  head  to  one  side,  he  closed  his  eyes. 

We  buried  him  at  daybreak.  The  grave  was 
dug  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  so  that  the  wagons 
passing  over  it  might  efface  all  trace  of  its  exist 
ence  and  preserve  it  inviolate  from  the  hands  of 
the  Indians.  Our  chaplain,  Mr.  Hughes,  had  been 
severely  wounded,  so  it  was  Colonel  Washington 
who  read  the  burial  service.  I  shall  not  soon  for 
get  that  scene,  —  the  open  grave  in  the  narrow 
roadway,  the  rude  coffin  draped  with  a  flag,  the 
martial  figure  within  in  full  uniform,  his  hands 
crossed  over  the  sword  on  his  breast,  the  riderless 
charger  neighing  for  its  master,  and  the  gray 
light  of  the  morning  over  it  all.  The  burial  ser 
vice  has  never  sounded  more  impressively  in  my 
ears  than  it  did  as  read  that  morning,  in  Colonel 
Washington's  strong,  melodious  voice,  to  that  little 
group  of  listening  men,  in  the  midst  of  the  wide, 
unbroken,  whispering  forest.  How  often  have  I 
heard  those  words  of  hope  and  trust  in  God's  pro 
mise  to  His  children,  and  under  what  varying  cir 
cumstances  ! 

We  lowered  him  into  the  grave,  and  lingered 


252  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

near  until  the  earth  was  heaped  about  it.  Then 
the  drums  beat  the  march,  the  wagons  rolled  over 
it,  and  in  half  an  hour  no  trace  of  it  remained.  So 
to  this  day,  he  lies  there  undisturbed  in  the  heart 
of  the  wilderness,  in  a  grave  which  no  man  knows. 
Others  have  railed  at  him,  —  have  decried  him  and 
slandered  him,  —  but  I  remember  him  as  he  ap 
peared  on  that  last  day  of  all,  a  brave  and  loyal 
gentleman,  not  afraid  of  death,  but  rather  welcom 
ing  it,  and  the  memory  is  a  sweet  and  dear  one. 
If  he  made  mistakes,  he  paid  for  them  the  utter 
most  penalty  which  any  man  could  pay,  —  and  may 
he  rest  in  peace. 

Of  the  remainder  of  that  melancholy  flight  little 
need  be  said.  We  struggled  on  through  the  wil 
derness,  bearing  our  three  hundred  wounded  with 
us  as  best  we  could,  and  marking  our  path  with 
their  shallow  graves,  as  they  succumbed  one  after 
another  to  the  hardships  of  the  journey.  On  the 
twenty-second  day  of  July  we  reached  Fort  Cum 
berland,  and  I  learned  with  amazement  that  Dun- 
bar  did  not  propose  to  stop  here,  although  he  had 
placed  near  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  between 
him  and  the  enemy,  but  to  carry  his  whole  army 
to  Philadelphia,  leaving  Virginia  open  to  Indian 
and  French  invasion  by  the  very  road  which  we 
had  made.  He  alleged  that  he  must  go  into  win 
ter  quarters,  and  that,  too,  though  it  was  just  the 
height  of  summer.  Colonel  Washington  ventured 
to  protest  against  this  folly,  but  was  threatened 
with  court-martial,  and  came  out  of  Dunbar's 
quarters  red  with  anger  and  chagrin. 


253 

And  sure  enough,  on  the  second  of  August,  Dun- 
bar  marched  away  with  all  his  effective  men,  twelve 
hundred  strong,  leaving  at  the  fort  all  his  sick 
and  wounded  and  the  Virginia  and  Maryland 
troops,  over  whom  he  attempted  to  exercise  no 
control.  I  bade  good-by  to  Orme  and  Allen  and 
such  other  of  the  officers  as  I  had  met.  Colonel 
Burton  took  occasion  to  come  to  me  the  night 
before  he  marched,  and  presented  me  with  a  very 
handsome  sword  in  token  of  his  gratitude,  as  he 
said,  for  saving  his  life,  —  an  exploit,  as  I  pointed 
out  to  him,  small  enough  beside  a  hundred  others 
that  were  done  that  day. 

The  sword  he  gave  me  hangs  above  my  desk  as 
I  write.  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  have  per 
formed  no  great  exploits  with  it,  and  when  I  took 
it  down  from  its  hook  the  other  day  to  look  at  it, 
I  found  that  it  had  rusted  in  its  scabbard. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

VIRGINIA   BIDS   US   WELCOME 

"  To  my  mind,  there  is  only  one  thing  to  be 
done.  That  is  to  retire." 

The  speaker  was  Colonel  Henry  Innes,  com 
mandant  of  the  fort,  but  as  he  looked  up  and  down 
the  row  of  faces  opposite  him,  he  saw  few  which 
showed  assent.  Scarcely  had  the  rear-guard  of 
Dunbai-'s  troops  disappeared  among  the  trees 
which  lined  the  narrow  military  road,  when  Colo 
nel  Innes  had  called  this  meeting  of  the  officers 
left  at  the  fort,  "  to  decide,"  as  the  summons  put 
it,  "  on  our  future  course  of  action."  As  if,  I 
thought  indignantly  to  myself,  there  could  be  any 
question  as  to  what  our  future  course  of  action 
should  be. 

"  We  are  left  here,"  continued  the  speaker,  in  a 
louder  voice  and  growing  somewhat  red  in  the  face, 
"  with  scarce  five  hundred  men,  all  provincials,  and 
most  of  them  unfit  for  service.  A  great  part  of 
the  army's  equipment  has  been  abandoned  or  de 
stroyed  back  there  in  the  woods.  In  short,  we 
are  so  weak  that  we  can  hope  neither  to  advance 
against  the  enemy  nor  to  repel  an  assault,  should 
they  march  against  us  in  force,  as  they  are  most 
like  to  do." 


VIRGINIA   BIDS   US   WELCOME  255 

For  a  moment  there  was  an  ominous  silence. 

"  May  I  ask  what  it  is  you  propose,  Colonel 
Innes  ?  "  asked  Captain  Waggoner  at  last. 

"  I  propose  to  abandon  the  place,"  replied  Innes, 
"  and  to  fall  back  to  Winchester  or  some  other 
point  where  our  wounded  may  lie  in  safety  and  our 
men  have  opportunity  to  recover  from  the  fatigues 
of  the  campaign." 

Again  there  was  a  moment's  silence,  and  all  of 
us,  as  by  a  common  impulse,  glanced  at  Colonel 
Washington,  who  sat  at  one  end  of  the  table,  his 
head  bowed  in  gloomy  thought.  The  fever,  which 
he  had  shaken  off  for  a  time,  had  been  brought 
back  by  the  arduous  work  he  had  insisted  on  per 
forming,  and  he  was  but  the  shadow  of  his  former 
self.  He  felt  our  eyes  upon  him  and  suddenly 
raised  his  head. 

"  Do  you  really  anticipate  that  the  French  will 
march  against  us,  Colonel  Innes  ? "  he  asked 
quietly.  "  There  were  scarce  three  hundred  of 
them  at  the  fort  three  weeks  ago,  hardly  enough 
for  an  expedition  of  such  moment,  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  they  can  be  reinforced  to  undertake 
any  campaign  this  summer." 

"  There  would  be  little  danger  from  the  French 
themselves,"  retorted  Innes,  with  an  angry  flush, 
"  but  they  will  undoubtedly  rally  the  Indians,  and 
lead  them  against  us  along  the  very  road  which 
Braddock  cut  over  the  mountains.  Fort  Cumber 
land  stands  at  one  end  of  that  road." 

Washington  smiled  disdainfully. 

"  I   have    heard   of   few   instances,"    he    said, 


256  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  where  Indians  have  dared  attack  a  well-manned 
fortification,  and  of  none  where  they  have  captured 
one.  To  retreat  from  here  would  be  to  leave  our 
whole  frontier  open  to  their  ravages,  and  would  be 
an  act  of  cowardice  more  contemptible  than  that 
which  Colonel  Dunbar  performed  this  morning, 
when  he  marched  his  troops  away." 

I  had  never  seen  him  so  moved,  and  I  caught 
the  infection  of  his  anger. 

"  Colonel  Washington  is  right !  "  I  cried  hotly. 
"  Our  place  is  here." 

Innes  did  not  so  much  as  look  at  me.  His  eyes 
were  on  Washington,  and  his  face  was  very  red. 

"Colonel  Washington,"  he  sneered,  his  lips 
curling  away  from  his  teeth  with  rage,  "was,  I 
believe,  an  aide  on  the  general's  staff.  Since  the 
general  is  dead,  that  position  no  longer  exists. 
Consequently,  Colonel  Washington  is  no  longer  an 
officer  of  the  army,  and  I  fail  to  see  what  right  he 
has  to  take  part  in  this  discussion." 

Half  a  dozen  of  us  were  on  our  feet  in  an  in 
stant,  but  Washington  was  before  us  and  waved  us 
back  with  a  motion  of  his  hand. 

"  Colonel  Innes  is  right,"  he  said,  his  deep-set 
eyes  gleaming  like  two  coals  of  fire.  "  I  am  no 
longer  an  officer  of  the  army,  and  I  thank  God  this 
is  so,  since  it  is  about  to  further  disgrace  itself." 

"  Take  care,  sir,"  cried  Innes,  springing  to  his 
feet.  "  You  forget  there  is  such  a  thing  as  court- 
martial." 

"And  you  forget  that  I  am  no  longer  of  the 
army,  and  so  can  defy  its  discipline." 


VIRGINIA  BIDS   US   WELCOME  257 

He  stood  for  a  moment  longer  looking  Innes  in 
the  eyes,  and  then,  without  saluting,  turned  on  his 
heel  and  left  the  place.  A  moment  later  the  coun 
cil  broke  up  in  confusion,  for  Innes  saw  plainly 
that  the  sentiment  of  nearly  all  the  other  officers 
present  was  against  him,  and  he  did  not  choose  to 
give  it  opportunity  of  expression.  I  had  scarcely 
reached  my  quarters  when  I  received  a  note  from 
his  secretary  stating  that  as  the  mortality  among 
the  Virginia  companies  had  been  so  heavy,  it  had 
been  decided  to  unite  the  three  into  one,  and  my 
lieutenancy  was  therefore  abolished.  Trembling 
with  anger,  I  hurried  to  Washington's  quarters 
and  laid  the  note  before  him, 

"  Why,  Tom,"  he  said,  with  a  short  laugh,  after 
he  had  read  it,  "  we  seem  to  have  fallen  into  dis 
grace  together.  But  come,"  he  added  more  cheer 
fully,  seeing  my  downcast  face,  "  do  not  despair. 
We  may  yet  win  out.  The  governor  and  the  House 
of  Burgesses  will  not  receive  so  quietly  this  pro 
ject  to  retire  from  the  frontier.  I  had  a  letter 
from  Dinwiddie  but  the  other  day,  in  which  he  said 
as  much.  In  the  mean  time,  I  am  going  home  to 
Mount  Vernon  to  rest,  and  you  must  come  with 
me." 

I  accepted  readily  enough,  for  I  knew  not  what 
else  to  do,  and  on  the  morrow  we  set  out.  Colonel 
Washington  was  so  ill  that  we  could  proceed  but 
slowly.  We  finally  reached  Winchester,  and  from 
there,  because  of  the  better  road,  crossed  the  river 
to  Frederick,  where  a  great  surprise  awaited  us. 
For  scarcely  were  we  off  our  horses  at  the  little 


258  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

tavern,  than  the  host,  learning  our  names,  rushed 
away  down  the  wide,  rambling  street,  crying  the 
news  aloud,  to  our  great  wonderment,  who  saw  not 
why  it  should  interest  any  one.  In  an  incredibly 
short  time,  above  a  hundred  people  had  gathered 
before  the  inn,  cheering  and  hallooing  with  all  their 
might,  while  we  looked  at  them  in  dumb  amaze 
ment.  We  sent  for  the  host  to  learn  what  this 
might  mean,  thinking  doubtless  there  was  some 
mistake,  and  even  as  he  entered,  a  dozen  men  burst 
into  the  room,  and  insisted  that  we  should  not  be 
permitted  for  a  moment  to  think  of  putting  up  at 
an  inn,  but  should  accompany  them  home. 

"  But,  gentlemen,"  protested  Washington,  "  you 
have  mistaken  us  for  some  one  else.  We  have 
done  nothing  to  deserve  your  hospitality." 

"  Have  you  not  ?  "  they  cried,  and  they  hustled 
us  out  into  the  yard.  There  was  no  denying  them, 
so  off  we  rode  again,  greatly  bewildered,  and  in  the 
course  of  half  an  hour,  were  being  introduced  by 
our  self-appointed  entertainer  to  his  wife  and  three 
pretty  daughters. 

"  'T  is  Colonel  Washington,  you  understand, 
wife,"  he  cried.  "  Colonel  Washington,  whose 
advice,  had  it  been  followed,  would  have  saved  the 
expedition." 

A  great  light  broke  upon  me.     So  my  friend's 
merits  were  to  be  recognized  at  last,  —  were  to  win 
him  something  more  than  contumely  and  insult,  — 
and  as  he  would  have  made  denial,  I  cut  him  short. 

"  Do  not  listen  to  him  !  "  I  cried.  "  'T  is  true, 
every  word  of  it,  and  much  more  besides." 


VIRGINIA  BIDS  US  WELCOME  259 

Whereat  the  girls  smiled  at  me  very  sweetly,  our 
host  wrung  my  hand  again,  and  I  swear  there  were 
tears  in  Washington's  eyes  as  he  looked  at  me  in 
feigned  anger.  Such  a  night's  entertainment  as 
was  given  us  I  shall  not  soon  forget,  nor  Colonel 
Washington  either,  I  dare  say.  Word  of  our  pre 
sence  had  got  about  the  neighborhood  with  singular 
speed,  and  the  people  flocked  in  by  dozens,  until 
the  great  hallway,  which  ran  through  the  house 
from  front  to  rear,  was  crowded  from  end  to  end. 
Then,  nothing  would  do  but  that  Colonel  Wash 
ington  must  tell  the  story  of  the  advance,  the  am 
buscade,  and  the  retreat,  which  he  did  with  such 
consummate  slighting  of  his  own  part  in  the  cam 
paign  that  I  interrupted  him  in  great  indignation, 
and,  unheeding  his  protests,  related  some  of  the 
things  concerning  him  which  I  have  already  writ 
ten,  and  which,  I  swear,  were  very  well  received. 

"  But  Lieutenant  Stewart  says  nothing  of  what 
he  himself  did,"  cried  Washington,  when  I  had 
finished. 

"  Because  I  did  nothing  worth  relating,"  I  re 
torted,  my  cheeks  hot  with  embarrassment  at  the 
way  they  looked  at  me. 

"Ask  him  how  he  won  that  sword  he  wears  at 
his  side,"  he  continued,  not  heeding  my  interrup 
tion,  his  eyes  twinkling  at  my  discomfiture.  "  Be 
lieve  me,  't  is  not  many  Virginia  officers  can  boast 
such  a  fine  one." 

And  then,  of  course,  they  all  demanded  that  he 
tell  the  story,  which  he  did  with  an  exaggeration 
that  I  considered  little  less  than  shameful.  In 


260  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

some  mysterious  manner,  tankards  of  cold,  bitter 
Dutch  beer,  the  kind  that  is  so  refreshing  after  a 
journey  or  at  the  close  of  a  hot  day's  work,  had 
found  their  way  into  the  right  hand  of  every  man 
present,  and  as  Washington  ended  the  story  and  I 
was  yet  denying,  our  host  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"  We  '11  drink  to  the  troops  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia,"  he  cried,  "  who  behaved  like  soldiers 
and  died  like  men,  teaching  England's  redcoats  a 
lesson  they  will  not  soon  forget,  and  to  two  of  the 
bravest  among  them,  Colonel  Washington  and 
Lieutenant  Stewart !  " 

It  was  done  with  a  cheer  that  made  the  old  hall 
ring,  and  when,  half  an  hour  later,  I  found  myself 
beside  the  prettiest  of  the  three  daughters  of  the 
house,  I  was  not  yet  quite  recovered.  Only  this  I 
can  say,  —  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  be  a  hero, 
though  trying  to  the  nerves.  I  had  only  the  one 
experience,  and  did  not  merit  that,  as  the  reader 
has  doubtless  decided  for  himself. 

Of  course  there  was  a  dance,  —  what  merry 
making  would  be  complete  without  one  ?  —  and 
Colonel  Washington  walked  a  minuet  with  a  cer 
tain  Mistress  Patience  Burd,  with  a  grace  which 
excited  the  admiration  of  every  swain  in  the  room, 
and  the  envy  of  not  a  few,  —  myself  among  the 
number,  for  I  was  ever  but  a  clumsy  dancer,  and 
on  this  occasion  no  doubt  greatly  vexed  my  pretty 
partner.  But  every  night  must  end,  as  this  one 
did  at  last.  Colonel  Washington  was  much  better 
next  morning,  for  his  illness  had  been  more  of  the 
mind  than  of  the  body,  and  our  kind  reception 


VIRGINIA  BIDS   US   WELCOME  261 

had  done  wonders  to  banish  his  vexation.  Our 
friends  bade  us  Godspeed,  and  we  rode  on  our 
way  southward.  I  never  saw  the  house  again,  and 
it  is  one  of  my  great  regrets  and  reasons  for  self- 
reproach  that  I  have  forgot  the  name  of  the  honest 
man  who  was  our  host  that  night,  and  remember 
only  that  the  name  of  his  prettiest  daughter  was 
Betty. 

As  we  reached  a  part  of  the  country  which  was 
more  closely  settled,  I  soon  perceived  that  however 
great  dishonor  had  accrued  to  British  arms  and 
British  reputations  as  the  result  of  that  battle  by 
the  Monongahela,  Colonel  Washington  had  won 
only  respect  and  admiration  by  his  consistent  and 
courageous  conduct.  We  were  stopped  a  hundred 
times  by  people  who  asked  first  for  news,  and  when 
they  heard  my  companion's  name,  vied  with  one 
another  to  do  him  honor.  It  did  me  good  to  see  how 
he  brightened  under  these  kind  words  and  friendly 
acts,  and  how  the  color  came  again  into  his  face 
and  the  light  into  his  eyes.  And  I  hold  that  this 
was  as  it  should  be,  for  I  know  of  nothing1  of  which 

O 

a  man  may  be  more  justly  proud  than  of  the  well- 
earned  praises  of  his  fellows. 

At  last,  toward  the  evening  of  a  sultry  August 
day,  we  turned  our  horses'  heads  into  the  wide  road 
which  led  up  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  drew  near  to 
that  hospitable  and  familiar  mansion.  News  of 
our  approach  must  have  preceded  us,  for  there, 
drawn  up  in  line,  were  the  bowing  and  grinning 
negroes,  while  at  the  entrance  gate  were  Mrs. 
Washington  and  her  children,  as  well  as  a  dozen 


262  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

families  assembled  from  as  many  miles  around  to 
do  honor  to  the  returning  warrior.  My  heart  beat 
more  quickly  as  I  ran  my  eyes  over  this  gathering, 
but  fell  again  when  I  saw  that  the  family  from 
Riverview  was  not  there. 

And  such  a  greeting  as  it  was !  We  all  remained 
a  space  apart  until  Mrs.  Washington  had  kissed 
her  son,  as  something  too  sacred  for  our  intrusion. 
But  when  he  turned  to  greet  his  neighbors,  I  have 
rarely  seen  such  genuine  emotion  shown  even  in 
our  whole-hearted  Virginia.  At  the  great  dinner 
which  followed,  with  Mrs.  Washington  at  the  head 
of  the  table  and  her  son  at  the  foot,  we  told  again 
the  story  of  the  campaign,  and  the  men  forgot  to 
sip  their  wine  until  the  tale  was  ended.  Yet  with 
all  this  largess  of  goodwill,  I  was  not  wholly  happy. 
For  I  had  no  home  to  go  to,  nor  was  there  any 
waiting  to  welcome  me,  and  the  woman  I  loved 
seemed  farther  away  than  ever,  though  now  she  was 
so  near. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  NEW   DANGER   AT   RIVERVIEW 

BUT  Dorothy  was  not  so  near  as  I  had  thought, 
for  next  morning  came  a  message  from  my  aunt. 
It  was  delivered  almost  as  soon  as  I  was  out  of  bed 
by  a  negro  boy  who  had  ridden  over  at  daybreak. 
It  was  dated  but  two  days  before,  and  began  very 
formally. 

"  Sir,"  it  ran,  "  since  you  no  doubt  will  wish  to 
recuperate  from  the  fatigues  of  the  campaign  so 
unfortunately  ended,  and  as  there  is  no  place  where 
you  can  do  this  so  well  as  at  Riverview,  I  hasten 
to  assure  you  that  the  place  is  entirely  at  your 
service." 

I  paused  a  moment  to  get  my  breath.  Her 
reference  to  the  campaign  was  intended  as  a  stab, 
of  course,  yet  could  it  be  she  was  relenting  ?  But 
hope  fell  as  I  read  on. 

"  In  order  that  you  may  feel  at  liberty  to  avail 
yourself  of  this  invitation,"  the  note  continued, 
"  my  daughter  and  I  have  accepted  one  of  long 
standing  to  spend  a  month,  or  perhaps  two  months, 
at  the  home  of  a  relative.  James  is  at  Williams- 
burg,  so  that  you  may  be  entirely  free  to  occupy 
your  leisure  at  Riverview  as  best  pleases  you.  Do 
not  think  that  you  have  driven  us  from  the  place, 


264  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

for  that  is  not  at  all  the  case.  I  have  long  felt  the 
need  of  rest,  and  take  advantage  of  this  opportu 
nity,  while  there  is  little  doing  on  the  plantation, 
to  secure  it.  I  trust  to  your  sense  of  honor  to 
make  no  inquiries  as  to  where  we  are  stopping,  nor 
to  attempt  to  see  my  daughter,  who,  I  believe,  has 
already  discovered  that  any  fancy  she  may  ever 
have  seemed  to  entertain  for  you  was  more  ima 
ginary  than  real." 

Here  was  a  blow,  straight  from  the  shoulder, 
and  I  winced  under  it. 

"  I  could  never  consent,"  the  note  concluded, 
"  to  any  attachment  of  a  serious  natui'e  between 
you,  having  quite  other  views  for  my  daughter, 
which,  I  am  sure,  will  be  for  her  happiness  and 
well-being." 

I  read  the  note  through  a  second  time  before  I 
realized  what  a  blow  it  gave  to  all  my  hopes.  I 
had  had  little  cause  to  anticipate  any  other  treat 
ment,  it  is  true,  and  yet  I  have  often  observed  that 
men  hope  most  who  have  least  reason  for  it,  and 
this  was  so  in  my  case.  As  I  read  the  note  again, 
I  could  not  but  admire  the  adroitness  of  its  author. 
She  had  placed  me  upon  honor  —  without  my  con 
sent,  't  is  true  —  to  make  no  effort  to  see  Dorothy. 
I  stood  biting  my  lips  with  anger  and  vexation, 
and  then,  with  sudden  resolve,  turned  back  to  the 
messenger. 

"  Go  around  to  the  kitchen  and  get  something 
to  eat,  if  you  are  hungry,"  I  said  to  him.  "  I  shall 
be  ready  to  ride  back  with  you  in  half  an  hour; " 
and  as  he  disappeared  around  a  corner  of  the  house, 


A  NEW  DANGER  AT  RIVERVIEW         265 

agrin  from  ear  to  ear  at  the  prospect  of  refresh 
ment,  I  sought  Mrs.  Washington  and  told  her  that 
I  had  just  received  a  note  from  my  aunt  and  would 
ride  to  Riverview  at  once.  How  much  she  sus 
pected  of  my  difference  with  my  aunt,  I  do  not 
know,  but  if  she  experienced  any  surprise  at  my 
sudden  departure,  she  certainly  did  not  show  it, 
saying  only  that  she  regretted  that  I  must  go  so 
soon,  and  that  I  must  always  consider  Mount  Ver- 
non  no  less  my  home  than  Riverview,  —  an  assur 
ance  which  Colonel  Washington  repeated  when  the 
moment  came  to  say  good-by,  and  I  rode  away 
at  last  with  a  very  tender  feeling  in  my  heart 
for  those  two  figures  which  stood  there  on  the 
steps  until  I  turned  into  the  road  and  passed  from 
sight. 

"  And  how  is  everything  at  Riverview,  Sam  ?  "  I 
asked  of  the  boy,  as  we  struck  into  the  road  and 
settled  our  horses  into  an  easy  canter.  He  did  not 
answer  for  a  moment,  and  when  I  glanced  at  him 
to  see  the  cause  of  his  silence,  I  was  astonished  to 
find  him  rolling  his  eyes  about  as  though  he  saw  a 
ghost. 

"  What 's  the  matter,  boy  ?  "  I  asked  sharply. 
"  Come,  speak  out.  What  is  it?  " 

He  looked  behind  him  and  all  around  into  the 
woods,  and  then  urged  his  horse  close  to  mine. 

"Mas'  Tom,"  he  said,  almost  in  a  whisper, 
"  dere  's  gwine  t'  be  hell  at  d'  plantation  fob  long. 
Youse  stay  'way  fum  it." 

I  looked  at  him,  still  more  astonished  by  his 
singular  behavior.  A  full-blooded  negro  does  not 


266  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

turn  pale,  but  under  the  influence  of  great  terror 
his  skin  grows  spotted  and  livid.  Sam's  was  livid 
at  that  moment. 

"  See  here,  Sam,"  I  said  sharply,  "  if  you  have 
anything  to  tell,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  right  away. 
What  are  you  afraid  of  ?  " 

"  D'  witch  man,"  he  whispered,  his  eyes  almost 
starting  from  his  head,  and  his  forehead  suddenly 
beading  with  perspiration. 

"  The  witch  man  ?  Has  a  witch  man  come  to 
Riverview  ?  " 

He  nodded. 

"  And  what  is  he  doing  there,  Sam  ?  " 

"  He  says  d'  French  dun  whopped  d'  English, 
an'  a-comin'  t'  set  all  d'  niggahs  free.  He  says  we 
nius'  holp,  an'  dere  won't  be  no  mo'  slaves.  All  ub 
us  be  free,  jus'  like  white  folks." 

It  took  me  a  minute  or  two  to  grasp  the  full 
meaning  of  this  extraordinary  revelation. 

"  He  says  the  French  are  coming  to  set  all  the 
niggers  free  ?  "  I  repeated. 

Sam  nodded. 

"  And  that  the  niggers  must  help  them  ?  " 

Again  Sam  nodded. 

"  Help  them  how,  Sam  ?  " 

He  hesitated. 

"  By  killing  the  English,  Sam?  " 

"  I  reckon  dat  's  it,"  he  said  reluctantly. 

"  And  burning  down  their  houses,  perhaps  ?  " 

"  I  'se  hearn  dat  talked  erboat,  too." 

I  drew  my  horse  in  with  a  jerk,  and  catching 
Sam's  by  the  bridle,  pulled  it  to  me. 


A   NEW   DANGER   AT   RIVERVIEW        267 

"  Now,  boy,"  I  said,  "  you  must  tell  me  all  about 
this.  I  promise  you  that  no  one  shall  harm  you." 

He  began  to  whimper. 

"I'll  tell  yo',  Mas'  Tom,"  he  stuttered,  "but 
yo'  mus'  n'  hurt  d'  witch  man." 

"  Who  is  this  witch  man  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  Ole  uncle  Polete." 

"  Polete 's  no  witch  man.  Why,  Sam,  you  've 
known  him  all  your  life.  He  's  nothing  but  an 
ordinary  old  nigger.  He  's  been  on  the  plantation 
twenty  or  thirty  years.  All  that  he  needs  is  a  good 
whipping." 

But  the  boy  only  shook  his  head  and  sobbed  the 
more. 

"  Ef  he  's  a-killed,"  he  cried,  "  his  ha'nt  '11  come 
back  fo'  me." 

I  saw  in  a  moment  what  the  boy  was  afraid  of. 
It  was  not  of  old  Polete  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the 
spirit.  I  thought  for  a  moment.  Well,  I  had  no 
reason  to  wish  Polete  any  harm,  yet  if  it  were  dis 
covered  that  he  had  been  inciting  the  slaves  to 
insurrection,  there  was  no  power  in  the  colony 
could  save  his  life.  If  his  owner  did  not  execute 
him,  the  governor  would  take  the  matter  out  of 
his  hands,  and  order  it  done  himself. 

"  I  tell  you  what  I  '11  do,  Sam,"  I  said  at  last. 
"  You  tell  me  everything  you  know,  and  I  '11  do  all 
I  can  to  save  Polete.  I  believe  I  can  stop  this 
thing  without  calling  in  any  outside  help." 

He  agreed  to  this,  and  as  we  jogged  along  I 
gradually  drew  the  details  of  the  plot  from  him. 
The  news  of  our  defeat  had,  it  seemed,  stirred  up 


268  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  negroes  at  the  plantation,  and  In  some  way  the 
wild  rumor  had  been  started  that  a  great  force  of 
French  was  marching  over  the  mountains  to  con 
quer  Virginia  and  all  the  other  English  colonies ; 
that  emissaries  had  come  to  the  negroes  and  pro 
mised  them  that  if  they  would  assist  the  invading 
army,  they  would  be  given  their  freedom  and  half 
of  the  colony  to  live  in.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
old  Polete,  crazed,  perhaps,  by  working  in  the 
tobacco  fields  under  the  blazing  sun,  had  suddenly 
developed  into  a  witch  man,  and  proclaimed  that 
he  could  see  the  French  army  marching,  and  urged 
the  negroes  to  strike  a  blow  at  once  in  order  to 
merit  their  freedom  when  the  French  should  come. 
Meetings  were  held  almost  nightly  in  the  woods 
some  miles  from  their  cabins,  whence  they  stole 
away  after  dark  by  twos  and  threes.  Just  what 
their  plans  were  Sam  did  not  know,  as  he  did  not 
belong  to  the  inner  council,  but  he  believed  that 
something  would  happen  soon  because  of  the  in 
creasing  excitement  of  the  older  negroes  who  were 
acquainted  with  the  plans. 

I  rode  on  for  some  time  in  silence,  thinking  over 
this  story  and  trying  to  decide  what  I  would  better 
do.  I  did  not  know  until  months  later  that  signs 
of  unrest  had  been  observed  among  the  slaves  all 
over  the  colony,  and  that  the  governor  had  con 
sidered  the  situation  so  serious  that  he  had  sent  out 
many  warnings  concerning  the  danger.  It  was  as 
well,  perhaps,  that  I  did  not  know  this  then,  for  I 
might  not  have  thought  my  own  portion  of  the 
problem  so  easy  of  solution.  At  the  time,  I  had 


A  NEW   DANGER  AT   RIVERVIEW         269 

no  thought  but  that  the  outbreak  was  the  result  of 
old  Polete's  prophecies,  and  was  confined  alone  to 
Riverview. 

Sam  was  cantering  along  behind  me,  his  face  still 
livid  with  terror,  and  as  I  caught  sight  of  it  again, 
I  wondered  what  impulse  it  was  had  moved  him  to 
confide  in  me,  with  such  fancied  peril  to  himself. 

"  I  would  n'  tole  nobody  else,"  he  said,  in  answer 
to  my  question,  "  but  you  tole  a  lie  fo'  me  oncet, 
an'  saved  me  a  lickin'." 

"  Told  a  lie  for  you,  Sam  ?  "  I  questioned  in 
astonishment.  "  When  was  that  ?  " 

"  Don'  yo'  'membah  boat  d'  whip,  Mas'  Tom, 
what  I  stole  ?  "  he  asked. 

I  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  before  that  inci 
dent  of  my  boyhood  came  back  to  me. 

"  Why,  yes,  I  remember  it  now,"  I  said.  "  But 
that  was  years  ago,  Sam,  and  I  had  forgotten  it. 
Besides,  I  did  n't  tell  a  lie  for  you.  I  only  told 
old  Gump  that  I  wished  to  give  you  the  whip." 

"  Well,"  said  Sam,  looking  at  me  doubtfully, 
"  yo'  saved  me  a  lickin'  anyhow,  an'  I  did  n'  f 'git 
it,"  and  he  dropped  back  again. 

Well,  to  be  sure,  an  act  of  thoughtfulness  or 
mercy  never  hurts  a  man,  a  fact  which  I  have  since 
learned  for  myself  a  hundred  times,  and  wish  all 
men  realized. 

We  were  soon  at  Riverview,  and  I  ordered  Sam 
to  ride  out  to  the  field  where  the  men  were  work 
ing,  and  tell  the  overseer,  Long,  that  I  wished  to 
see  him.  Sam  departed  on  the  errand,  visibly  un 
easy,  and  I  wandered  from  my  room,  where  I  had 


270  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

taken  my  pack,  along  the  hall  and  into  my  aunt's 
business  room  while  I  waited  his  return.  I  stood 
again  for  a  moment  at  the  spot  on  the  staircase 
where  I  had  kissed  Dorothy  that  morning,  —  it 
seemed  ages  ago,  —  and  as  I  looked  up,  I  fancied  I 
could  still  see  her  sweet  face  gazing  down  at  me. 
But  it  was  only  fancy,  and,  with  a  sigh,  I  turned 
away  and  went  down  through  the  hall. 

There  were  reminders  of  her  at  every  turn,  — 
there  was  the  place  where  she  had  sat  sewing  in 
the  evenings  ;  over  the  fireplace  hung  a  little  picture 
she  had  painted,  rude  enough,  no  doubt,  but  beau 
tiful  to  my  eyes.  With  a  sudden  impulse,  I  ran 
down  the  steps  and  to  the  old  seat  under  the  oaks 
by  the  river.  Nothing  had  changed,  —  even  the 
shadows  across  the  water  seemed  to  be  the  same. 
But  as  I  ran  my  hand  mechanically  along  the  arm 
of  the  seat  on  the  side  where  Dorothy  always  sat, 
my  fingers  felt  a  roughness  which  had  not  been 
there  before,  and  as  I  looked  to  see  what  this  might 
be,  I  saw  that  some  one  had  cut  in  the  wood  a  T 
and  a  D,  intertwined,  and  circled  by  a  tiny  heart. 
Who  could  have  done  it?  I  had  no  need  to  ask 
myself  the  question.  My  heart  told  me  that  no 
one  but  Dorothy  could  have  done  it,  and  that  she 
knew  that  I  should  come  and  sit  here  and  live  over 
again  the  long  evenings  when  she  had  sat  beside 
me.  It  was  a  message  from  my  love,  and  with 
trembling  lips  I  bent  and  kissed  the  letters  which 
she  had  carved.  As  I  sat  erect  again,  I  heard 
footsteps  behind  me,  and  turned  to  see  Long  ap 
proaching. 


A  NEW   DANGER  AT   RIVERVIEW        271 

"You  sent  for  me,  Mr.  Stewart?"  he  asked. 
"  I  saw  you  sitting  here,  and  decided  you  were 
waiting  for  me." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  and  I  shook  hands  with  him,  for 
he  was  an  honest  man  and  a  good  workman. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  back  again,  sir,  though 
looking  so  ill,"  he  added.  "  I  trust  the  air  of  Biv- 
erview  will  soon  bring  you  around  all  right,"  and 
from  his  eyes  I  knew  he  meant  it. 

I  thanked  him,  and  bade  him  sit  beside  me. 
Then,  in  a  few  words,  I  told  him  what  I  had 
learned  of  the  negro  meetings,  and  saw  his  face 
grow  grave. 

"'Tis  what  I  have  always  feared,"  he  said, 
when  I  had  finished.  "  There  are  too  many  of 
them  in  the  colony,  and  they  feel  their  strength. 
If  they  had  a  leader  and  a  chance  to  combine,  they 
might  do  a  great  deal  of  harm.  However,  we 
shall  soon  knock  this  in  the  head." 

"  How  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Make  an  example  of  Polete,"  he  answered 
decidedly.  "  That 's  the  best  way,  sir.  Put  him 
out  of  the  way,  let  the  other  niggers  see  us  do  it, 
and  they  '11  quiet  down  fast  enough." 

"  Undoubtedly  that  is  the  easiest  way,"  I  said, 
smiling,  "  but,  unfortunately,  I  had  to  promise  the 
person  who  gave  me  the  information  that  Polete 
should  not  be  harmed." 

Long  stared  at  me  for  a  moment  in  amaze 
ment. 

"  It  would  be  unfortunate  if  any  of  the  other 
planters  should  hear  of  that  promise,  Mr.  Stewart," 


272  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

he  said  at  last.  "  They  would  probably  take  Po- 
lete's  case  into  their  own  hands." 

I  laughed  at  his  evident  concern. 

"  No  doubt,"  I  said,  "  but  they  are  not  going  to 
hear  of  it.  I  intend  telling  no  one  but  yourself,  for 
we  two  are  quite  sufficient  to  stop  this  thing  right 
here,  and  it  need  go  no  further." 

"Perhaps  we  are,"  he  answered  doubtfully. 
"  What  is  your  plan,  sir  ?  " 

"  Polete  will  hold  a  meeting  to-night  over  there 
in  the  woods.  Well,  we  will  be  present  at  the 
meeting." 

He  looked  at  me  without  saying  a  word. 

"  Our  visit  will  probably  not  be  very  welcome," 
I  continued,  "  but  I  believe  it  will  produce  the 
desired  effect.  Will  you  go  with  me  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  he  answered  readily,  "  but  I  still 
think  my  plan  the  best,  sir." 

"  Perhaps  it  is,"  I  laughed,  "  but  we  will  try 
mine  first,"  and  he  went  back  to  the  field,  agree 
ing  to  be  at  the  house  at  eight  o'clock. 

I  covered  with  my  hand  the  tiny  letters  on  the 
arm  of  the  bench,  and,  looking  out  across  the 
broad  river,  drifted  into  the  land  of  dreams,  where 
Dorothy  and  I  wandered  together  along  a  primrose 
path,  with  none  to  interfere. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE    GOVERNOR    SHOWS   HIS   GRATITUDE 

I  ATE  my  supper  in  solitary  splendor  in  the  old 
dining-room,  with  my  grandfather's  portrait  looking 
down  upon  me,  and  Long  found  me  an  hour  later 
sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  wreath  of  smoke  just 
within  the  hallway  out  of  the  river  mist. 

"  'T  was  as  you  said,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  remarked, 
as  he  joined  me.  "  Fully  a  hundred  of  the  niggers 
stole  off  to  the  woods  to-night  so  soon  as  it  was 
dark.  They  went  down  toward  the  old  Black  Snake 
swamp." 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  rising.  "  Wait  till  I  get 
my  hat,  and  I  am  with  you." 

"  But  you  will  go  armed  ?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

I  paused  to  think  for  a  moment. 

"  No,  I  will  not,"  I  said  finally.  "  A  brace  of  pis 
tols  would  avail  nothing  against  that  mob,  should 
they  choose  to  resist  us,  and  our  going  unarmed 
will  have  a  great  moral  effect  upon  them  as  show 
ing  them  that  we  are  not  afraid." 

"You  have  weighed  fully  the  extent  of  the  risk 
you  are  about  to  run,  I  hope,  sir,"  protested  Long. 

"  Fully,"  I  answered.  "  'T  is  not  yet  too  late 
for  you  to  turn  back,  you  know.  I  have  no  right 
to  ask  you  to  endanger  your  life  to  carry  out  this 


274  A  SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

plan  of  mine.  Perhaps  it  would  be  wiser  for  you 
not  to  go." 

"  And  if  I  stay,  you  " 

"  Will  go  alone,"  I.said. 

He  caught  my  hand  and  wrung  it  heartily. 

"  You  are  a  brave  man,  Mr.  Stewart,"  he  ex 
claimed.  "  If  I  have  shown  any  hesitation,  't  was 
on  your  account,  not  on  my  own.  I  am  ready  to 
go  with  you,"  and  as  he  spoke,  he  drew  a  brace 
of  pistols  from  beneath  his  coat  and  laid  them 
on  the  table  by  the  fireplace. 

"  Wait  one  moment,"  I  said,  and  hurrying  to 
my  aunt's  room,  I  wrote  a  short  note  telling  her 
of  the  trouble  I  had  discovered  and  where  Long 
and  I  were  going,  so  that,  if  we  did  not  return,  she 
would  know  what  had  happened.  Folding  and 
sealing  it,  I  wrote  on  the  outside,  "  To  be  delivered 
at  once  to  Mrs.  Stewart,"  left  it  on  the  table,  know 
ing  that  no  one  would  enter  the  room  till  morning, 
and  hurried  back  to  rejoin  Long.  We  were  off 
without  further  words,  and  were  soon  well  on  our 
way. 

It  was  a  clear,  cool,  summer  night,  with  the 
breeze  just  stirring  in  the  trees  and  keeping  up 
a  faint,  unceasing  whispering  among  the  leaves. 
The  moon  had  risen  some  hours  before,  and  sailed 
upward  through  a  cloudless  sky.  Even  under  the 
trees  it  was  not  wholly  dark,  for  the  moon's  light 
filtered  through  here  and  there,  making  a  quaint 
patchwork  on  the  ground,  and  filling  the  air  with 
a  peculiar  iridescence  which  transformed  the 
ragged  trunks  of  the  sycamores  into  fantastic  hob- 


THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE    275 

goblins.  All  about  us  rose  the  croaking  of  the 
frogs,  dominating  all  the  other  noises  of  the  night, 
and  uniting  in  one  mighty  chorus  in  the  marshes 
along  the  river.  An  owl  was  hooting  from  a 
distant  tree,  and  the  hum  of  innumerable  insects 
sounded  on  every  side.  Here  and  there  a  glitter 
ing,  dew-spangled  cobweb  stretched  across  our 
path,  a  barrier  of  silver,  and  required  more  than 
ordinary  resolution  to  be  brushed  aside.  As  we 
turned  nearer  to  the  river,  the  ground  grew  softer 
and  the  underbrush  more  thick,  and  I  knew  that 
we  had  reached  the  swamp. 

Then,  in  a  moment,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I 
could  hear  some  faint,  monotonous  singsong  rising 
above  all  the  rest.  At  first  I  thought  it  was  the 
croaking  of  a  monster  frog,  but  as  we  plodded  on 
and  the  sound  grew  more  distinct,  I  knew  it  could 
not  be  that.  At  last,  in  sheer  perplexity,  I  stopped 
and  motioned  Long  to  listen. 

"  Do  you  hear  it  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Do  you  know 
what  it  is?" 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  it  for  the  last  ten  minutes, 
Mr.  Stewart,"  he  answered  quietly.  "  It  is  old 
Polete  preaching  to  the  niggers.  I  have  often 
heard  their  so-called  witch  men  preach.  It  is  al 
ways  in  a  singsong  just  like  that." 

As  we  drew  nearer,  I  perceived  that  this  was 
true,  for  I  could  catch  the  tones  of  the  speaker's 
voice,  and  in  a  few  minutes  could  distinguish  his 
words.  Some  years  before,  when  the  river  had 
been  in  flood,  its  current  had  been  thrown  against 
this  bank  by  a  landslide  on  the  other  side,  and  had 


276  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

washed  away  trees  and  underbrush  for  some  dis 
tance.  The  underbrush  had  soon  sprung  up  again, 
but  the  clearing  still  remained,  and  as  we  stopped 
in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  and  looked  across  it,  we 
saw  a  singular  sight.  Negroes  to  the  number  of 
at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  were  gathered  about 
a  pile  of  logs  on  which  Polete  was  mounted.  He 
was  shouting  in  a  monotone,  his  voice  rising  and 
falling  in  regular  cadence,  his  eyes  closed,  his 
head  tilted  back,  his  face  turned  toward  the  moon, 
whose  light  silvered  his  hair  and  beard  and  gave 
a  certain  majesty  to  his  appearance.  His  hearers 
were  seemingly  much  affected,  and  interrupted 
him  from  time  to  time  with  shouts  and  groans  and 
loud  amens. 

"  Dis  is  d'  promise'  Ian' ! "  cried  old  Polete, 
waving  his  arms  above  his  head  in  a  wild  ecstasy. 
"  All  we  hab  t'  do  is  t'  raise  up  an'  take  it  from 
ouh  'pressahs.  Ef  we  stays  hyah  slaves,  it 's  ouh 
own  fault.  Now 's  d'  'pinted  time.  D'  French  is 
ma' chin'  obah  d'  mountings  t'  holp  us.  Dee  '11  drib 
d'  English  into  d'  sea,  and  wese  t'  hab  ouh  freedom, 
—  ouh  freedom  an'  plenty  Ian'  t'  lib  on." 

"  Dat  's  it,"  shouted  some  one,  "  an'  we  gwine  t' 
holp,  suah !  " 

The  negroes  were  so  intent  upon  their  speaker 
that  they  did  not  perceive  us  until  we  were  right 
among  them,  and  even  then  for  a  few  minutes, 
as  we  forced  our  way  through  the  mob,  no  one 
knew  us. 

"  It 's  Mas'  Tom  !  "  yelled  one  big  fellow,  as  my 
hat  was  knocked  from  my  head.  And,  as  if  by 


THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE    277 

instinct,  they  crowded  back  on  either  side,  and  a 
path  was  opened  before  us  to  the  pile  of  logs  where 
Polete  stood.  He  gaped  at  us  amazedly  as  we 
clambered  up  toward  him,  and  I  saw  that  he  was 
licking  his  lips  convulsively.  A  yell  from  the 
crowd  greeted  us  as  we  appeared  beside  him,  —  a 
menacing  yell,  which  died  away  into  a  low  growl 
ing,  and  foretold  an  approaching  storm. 

"  Now,  boys,"  I  cried,  "  I  want  you  to  listen  to 
me  for  a  minute.  That  is  a  lie  about  the  French 
coming  over  the  mountains,  —  every  word  of  it. 
If  Polete  here,  who,  you  know,  is  only  a  laborer 
like  most  of  you,  says  he  has  seen  them  coming  in 
a  vision,  why  he 's  simply  lying  to  you,  or  he  does  n't 
know  what  he  's  talking  about.  There  are  not 
three  hundred  Frenchmen  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains,  in  the  first  place,  and  it  will  be  winter 
before  they  can  get  any  more  there.  So  if  you 
fight,  you  will  have  to  fight  alone,  and  you  can 
guess  how  much  chance  of  success  you  have.  You 
know  the  penalty  for  insurrection.  It 's  death, 
and  not  an  easy  death,  either,  —  death  by  fire  !  If 
you  go  ahead  with  this  thing,  no  power  on  earth 
can  save  every  one  of  you  from  the  stake." 

"  It 's  a  lie  !  "  yelled  Polete.  "  I  did  hab  d' 
vision.  I  did  see  d'  French  a-comin' — millions 
o'  dem  —  all  a-ma'chin'  t' rough  d'  forest.  Dee  's 
almost  hyah.  Dee  want  us  t'  holp." 

A  hoarse  yell  interrupted  him,  and  I  saw  that 
something  must  be  done. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  boys,"  I  cried.  "  Let  me  ask 
Polete  a  question.  You  say  you  have  seen  the 
French  marching,  Polete  ?  " 


278  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

He  nodded  sullenly. 

"  What  was  the  color  of  their  uniforms  ?  " 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  but  saw  he  must  answer. 

"  Dee  was  all  colors,"  he  said.  "  Red,  blue, 
green,  —  all  colors." 

I  saw  that  my  moment  of  triumph  was  at  hand. 

"  Now,  boys,"  I  cried,  holding  up  my  hand  so 
that  all  might  be  quiet  and  hear  my  words.  "  You 
may  guess  how  much  value  there  is  in  Polete's 
visions.  He  says  he  has  seen  the  French  army 
marching,  and  he  has  just  told  me  that  their  uni 
forms  are  all  colors,  —  red,  blue,  green,  and  so  on. 
Now,  if  he  has  seen  the  army,  he  ought  to  know 
the  color  of  the  uniforms,  ought  he  not?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  yelled  the  mob. 

"  Well,  boys,"  I  continued,  "  the  French  wear 
only  one  color  uniform,  and  that  color  is  just  the 
one  which  Polete  has  not  mentioned  —  white.  No 
Frenchman  goes  to  war  except  in  a  white  uni 
form." 

They  were  all  silent  for  a  moment,  and  I  saw 
them  eyeing  Polete  distrustfully. 

But  he  was  foaming  at  the  mouth  with  fury. 

"  A  lie  !  "  he  screamed.  "  A  lie,  same  's  de 
uddah.  Don'  yo'  see  what  we  mus'  do?  Kill 
'em  !  Kill  'em,  an'  nobody  else  '11  evah  know  !  " 

That  low  growling  which  I  had  heard  before 
again  ran  through  the  crowd.  I  must  play  my  last 
card. 

"You  fools!"  I  cried,  "do  you  suppose  we  are 
the  only  ones  who  know  ?  If  so  much  as  a  hair  of 
our  heads  is  touched,  if  we  are  not  back  among 


THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE    279 

our  friends  safe  and  sound  when  morning  comes, 
every  dog  among  you  will  yelp  his  life  out  with  a 
circle  of  fire  about  him  ! " 

They  were  whining  now,  and  I  knew  I  had  them 
conquered. 

"  I  came  here  to-night  to  save  you,"  I  went  on, 
after  a  moment.  "  Return  now  quietly  to  your 
quarters,  and  nothing  more  will  be  said  about  this 
gathering.  Put  out  of  your  minds  once  for  all 
the  hope  that  the  French  will  help  you,  for  it  is  a 
lie.  And  let  this  be  the  last  time  you  hold  a 
meeting  here,  or  I  will  not  answer  for  the  conse 
quences." 

I  waved  them  away  with  my  hand,  and  they 
slunk  off  by  twos  and  threes  until  all  of  them  had 
disappeared  in  the  shadow  of  the  wood. 

"And  now,  what  shall  we  do  with  this  cur?" 
asked  Long,  in  a  low  voice,  at  my  elbow.  I  turned 
and  saw  that  he  had  old  Polete  gripped  by  the 
collar.  "  He  tried  to  run  away,"  he  added,  "  but 
I  thought  you  might  have  something  to  say  to 
him." 

Polete  was  as  near  collapse  as  a  man  could  be 
and  yet  be  conscious.  He  was  trembling  like  a 
leaf,  his  eyes  were  bloodshot,  and  his  lower  jaw 
was  working  convulsively.  He  turned  an  implor 
ing  gaze  on  me,  and  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not. 

"  Polete,"  I  said  sternly,  "  I  suppose  you  know 
that  if  this  night's  work  gets  out,  as  it  is  certain 
to  do  sooner  or  later,  no  power  on  earth  can  save 
your  life  ?  " 

"  Yes,  massa,"  he  muttered,  and  looked  about 


280  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

him  wildly,  as  though  he  already  saw  the  flames  at 
his  feet. 

"  Well,  Polete,"  I  went  on,  "  after  the  way  you 
have  acted  to-night,  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should 
try  to  save  you.  You  certainly  did  all  you  could 
to  get  me  killed." 

"Yes,  massa,"  he  said  again,  and  would  have 
fallen  had  not  Long  held  him  upright  by  the 
collar. 

I  waited  a  moment,  for  I  thought  he  was  going 
to  faint,  but  he  opened  his  eyes  again  and  fixed 
them  on  me.  AS 

"  Now  listen,"  I  went  on,  when  he  appeared  able 
to  understand  me.     "  I  'm  not  going  to  kill  you. 
I  'm  going  to  give  you  a  chance  for  your  life,  — 
not  a  very  big  chance,  perhaps,  but  a  great  deal 
better  one  than  you  would  have  here." 

"  Yes,  massa,"  he  said  a  third  time,  and  there 
was  a  gleam  of  hope  in  his  face. 

"  I  'm  going  to  let  you  go,"  I  concluded.  "  I  'd 
advise  you  to  follow  the  river  till  you  get  beyond 
the  settlements,  and  then  try  for  Pennsylvania.  I 
promise  you  there  '11  be  no  pursuit,  but  if  you 
ever  show  your  face  around  here  again,  you  're  as 
good  as  dead." 

Before  I  had  finished,  he  had  fallen  to  his  knees 
and  bowed  his  head  upon  my  feet,  with  a  peculiar 
reverence,  —  a  relic,  I  suppose,  of  his  life  in  Africa. 
He  was  blubbering  like  a  baby  when  he  looked  up 
at  me. 

"  I  '11  nevah  f 'git  yeh,  Mas'  Tom,"  he  said. 
"  I  '11  nevah  f 'git  yeh." 


THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE    281 

"  That  '11  do,  uucle,"  and  I  caught  him  by  the 
collar  and  pulled  him  to  his  feet.  "  I  don't  want 
to  see  you  killed,  but  you  'd  better  get  away  from 
here  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  drop  this  witch  man 
business  for  good  and  all.  Here  's  two  shillings. 
They  '11  get  you  something  to  eat  when  you  get  to 
Pennsylvania,  but  you  'd  better  skirmish  along  in 
the  woods  the  best  you  can  till  then,  or  you  '11 
be  jerked  up  for  a  runaway." 

He  murmured  some  inarticulate  words,  —  of 
gratitude,  perhaps,  —  and  slid  down  from  the  pile 
of  logs.  We  watched  him  until  he  plunged  into 
the  woods  to  the  south  of  the  clearing,  and  then 
started  back  toward  the  house.  I  was  busy  with 
my  own  thoughts  as  we  went,  and  Long  was  also 
silent,  so  that  scarcely  a  word  passed  between  us 
until  we  reached  the  steps. 

"  Sit  down  a  minute,  Long,"  I  said,  as  he  started 
back  to  his  quarters.  "  I  don't  believe  we  '11  have 
any  more  trouble  with  those  fellows,  but  perhaps 
it  would  be  well  to  watch  them." 

"  Trust  me  for  that,  sir,"  he  answered.  "  I  '11 
see  to  it  that  there  are  no  more  meetings  of  that 
kind.  With  Polete  away,  there  is  little  danger. 
The  only  question  is  whether  he  will  stay  away." 

"  I  think  he  will,"  and  I  looked  out  over  the 
river  thoughtfully.  "  He  seemed  to  understand 
the  danger  he  was  in.  If  he  returns,  you  will  have 
to  deliver  him  up  to  the  authorities  at  once,  of 
course." 

"  Well,"  said  Long,  "  I  'm  not  a  bloodthirsty 
man,  sir,  as  perhaps  you  know,  but  I  think  we  'd 


282  A   SOLDIER   OF  VIRGINIA 

be  safer  if  he  were  dead.  Still,  we  '11  be  safe 
enough  anyway,  now  the  niggers  know  their  plot 
is  discovered.  But  we  were  in  a  ticklish  place 
there  for  a  while  this  evening." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  with  a  smile.  "  It  was  not 
so  easy  as  I  had  expected.  I  want  to  thank  you, 
Long,  for  going  with  me.  It  was  a  service  on 
your  part  which  showed  you  have  the  interest  of 
the  place  at  heart,  and  are  not  afraid  of  danger." 

"  That 's  all  right,  sir,"  he  said  awkwardly. 
"  Good-night." 

"  Wait  till  I  get  your  pistols,"  I  said.  "  You 
left  them  in  the  hall,  you  know." 

The  moonlight  was  streaming  through  the  open 
window,  and  as  I  stepped  into  the  hall,  I  rubbed 
my  eyes,  for  I  thought  I  must  be  dreaming.  There 
in  a  great  chair  before  the  fireplace  sat  Colonel 
Washington.  His  head  had  fallen  back,  his  eyes 
were  closed,  and  from  his  deep  and  regular  breath 
ing  I  knew  that  he  was  sleeping.  Marveling 
greatly  at  his  presence  here  at  this  hour,  I  tiptoed 
around  him,  got  Long's  pistols,  and  took  them  out 
to  him.  Then  I  lighted  my  pipe  and  sat  down  in 
a  chair  opposite  the  sleeper,  and  waited  for  him  to 
awake.  I  had  not  long  to  wait.  Whether  from 
my  eyes  on  his  face,  or  some  other  cause,  he  stirred 
uneasily,  opened  his  eyes,  and  sat  suddenly  bolt 
upright. 

"  Why,  Tom,"  he  cried,  as  he  saw  me,  "  I  must 
have  been  asleep." 

"  So  you  have,"  I  said,  shaking  'hands  with  him, 
and  pressing  him  back  into  the  chair,  from  which 


THE  GOVERNOR  SHOWS  HIS  GRATITUDE    283 

he  would  have  risen.  "  But  what  fortunate  chance 
has  brought  you  here  ?  " 

"  The  most  fortunate  in  the  world !  "  he  cried, 
his  eyes  agleam.  "  You  know  I  told  you  that  the 
governor  and  House  of  Burgesses  would  not  bear 
quietly  the  project  to  leave  our  frontier  open  to  the 
enemy.  Well,  read  this,"  and  he  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  most  formidable  looking  paper.  I  took 
it  with  a  trembling  hand  and  carried  it  to  the  win 
dow,  but  the  moon  was  almost  set,  and  I  could  not 
decipher  it. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  asked,  quivering  with  impa 
tience. 

"  Here,  give  it  to  me,"  he  said,  with  a  light 
laugh,  which  reminded  me  of  the  night  I  had  seen 
him  first  in  the  governor's  palace  at  William sburg. 
"  The  House  of  Burgesses  has  just  met.  They 
ordered  that  a  regiment  of  a  thousand  men  be 
raised  to  protect  the  frontier  in  addition  to  those 
already  in  the  field,  and  voted  £20,000  for  the 
defense  of  the  colony." 

"  And  that  is  your  commission !  "  I  cried.  "  Is 
it  not  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  scarce  less  excited  than  myself. 
"  'T  is  my  commission  as  commander-in-chief  of  all 
the  Virginia  forces." 

I  wrung  his  hand  with  joy  unutterable.  At  last 
this  man,  who  had  done  so  much,  was  to  know 
something  beside  disappointment  and  discourage 
ment. 

"  But  you  do  not  ask  how  you  are  concerned  in 
all  this,"  he  continued,  smiling  into  my  face,  "  or 


284  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

why  I  rode  over  myself  to  bring  the  news  to  you. 
'T  is  because  I  set  out  to-morrow  at  daybreak  for 
Winchester  to  take  command,  and  I  wish  you  to 
go  with  me,  Tom,  as  aide-de-camp,  with  the  rank  of 
captain." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

A    WARNING    FROM    THE    FOREST 

IT  was  at  Winchester  that  Colonel  Washington 
established  his  headquarters,  maintaining  a  detach 
ment  at  Fort  Cumberland  sufficient  to  repel  any 
attack  the  Indians  were  like  to  make  against  it, 
and  to  cut  off  such  of  their  war  parties  as  ventured 
east  of  it.  From  Winchester  he  was  able  more 
easily  to  keep  in  touch  with  all  parts  of  the  fron 
tier,  and  with  the  string  of  blockhouses  which  had 
been  built  years  before  as  a  gathering-place  for  the 
settlers  in  the  event  of  Indian  incursions.  By  the 
first  of  September  his  arrangements  had  been 
completed,  but  long  before  that  time  it  was  evident 
the  task  was  to  be  no  easy  one. 

Already,  from  the  high  passes  of  the  Alleghanies, 
war  parties  of  Delawares  and  Shawanoes  had  de 
scended,  sweeping  down  upon  the  frontier  families 
like  a  devastating  whirlwind,  and  butchering  men, 
women,  and  children  with  impartial  fury.  The  un 
bounded  forest,  which  covered  hill  and  valley  with 
a  curtain  of  unbroken  foliage,  afforded  a  thousand 
lurking-places,  and  it  was  well-nigh  impossible  for 
an  armed  force  to  get  within  striking  distance  of 
the  marauders.  So,  almost  daily,  stories  of  horrible 
cruelty  came  to  the  fort,  plunging  the  commander 


286  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

into  an  agony  of  rage  and  dejection  at  his  very 
impotence.  The  fort  was  soon  crowded  with  refu 
gees,  —  wives  bewailing  their  husbands,  husbands 
swearing  to  avenge  their  wives,  parents  lamenting 
their  children,  children  of  a  sudden  made  orphans, 
—  and  from  north  and  south,  scores  of  hard-fea 
tured,  steel-eyed  men  came  to  us,  their  rifles  in 
their  hands,  to  offer  their  services,  and  after  a  time 
these  came  to  be  one  of  the  most  valuable  portions 
of  our  force. 

Ah,  the  stories  they  told  us !  Tragedies  such  as 
that  which  Spiltdorph  and  I  had  come  upon  had 
been  repeated  scores  of  times.  The  settler  who 
had  left  his  cabin  at  daybreak  in  search  of  game, 
or  to  carry  his  furs  to  the  nearest  post,  returned 
at  sundown  to  find  only  a  smoking  heap  of  ashes 
where  his  home  had  been,  and  among  them  the 
charred  and  mutilated  bodies  of  his  wife  and  chil 
dren.  Horror  succeeded  horror,  and  the  climax 
came  one  day  when  we  were  passing  a  little  school- 
house  some  miles  below  the  fort,  in  the  midst  of 
a  district  well  populated.  Wondering  at  the  un 
wonted  silence,  we  dismounted,  opened  the  door, 
and  looked  within.  The  master  lay  upon  the  plat 
form  with  his  pupils  around  him,  all  dead  and 
newly  scalped.  The  savages  had  passed  that  way 
not  half  an  hour  before. 

And  to  add  to  the  trials  of  the  commander,  his 
troops,  hastily  got  together,  were  most  of  them 
impatient  of  restraint  or  discipline,  and  with  no 
knowledge  of  warfare,  while  the  governor  and  the 
House  of  Burgesses  demanded  that  he  undertake 


A   WARNING  FROM   THE   FOREST         287 

impossibilities.  It  was  a  dreary,  trying,  thankless 
task. 

"  They  expect  me  to  perform  miracles,"  he  said 
to  me  bitterly  one  day.  "  How  am  I  to  protect  a 
frontier  four  hundred  miles  in  length  with  five  or 
six  hundred  effective  men,  against  an  enemy  who 
knows  every  foot  of  the  ground,  and  who  can  find 
a  hiding-place  at  every  step  ?  " 

Only  by  the  sternest  measures  could  many  of  the 
levies  be  brought  to  the  fort,  and  one  man  —  a 
captain,  God  save  the  mark !  —  sent  word  that  he 
and  his  company  could  not  come  because  their 
corn  had  not  yet  been  got  in.  Yet,  in  spite  of  all 
these  drawbacks,  we  did  accomplish  something. 
There  were  a  few  of  the  Iroquois  who  yet  remained 
our  friends,  and  the  general  spared  no  effort  to  re 
tain  their  goodwill,  for  their  services  were  invalu 
able.  With  a  lofty  contempt  for  the  Delawares 
and  Shawanoes,  whom  they  had  one  time  subju 
gated  and  compelled  to  assume  the  name  of  women, 
they  roamed  the  forest  for  miles  around,  and  more 
than  once  enabled  us  to  ambush  one  of  the  war 
parties  and  send  it  howling  back  to  the  Muskin- 
gum,  where  there  was  great  weeping  and  wailing 
in  the  lodges  upon  its  return.  But  it  was  fruitless 
work,  for  the  Indians,  driven  back  for  the  moment, 
returned  with  augmented  fury,  and  again  drenched 
the  frontier  in  the  blood  of  the  colonists. 

We  realized  one  and  all  that  nothing  we  could 
do  would  turn  the  tide  of  war  permanently  from 
our  borders  and  render  the  frontier  safe  until  the 
French  had  been  driven  from  Fort  Duquesne.  For 


288  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

it  was  they  who  urged  the  Indians  on,  supplying 
them  with  guns  and  ammunition,  and  rewarding 
them  with  rum  when  they  returned  to  the  fort 
laden  with  English  scalps.  An  expedition  against 
the  French  stronghold  was  for  the  present  out  of 
the  question,  and  we  could  only  bite  our  nails  and 
curse,  waiting  for  another  night  when  we  might 
sally  forth  and  fall  upon  one  of  the  war  parties. 
But  the  few  Indians  we  killed  seemed  a  pitiful 
atonement  for  the  mangled  bodies  scattered  along 
the  frontier  and  the  hundreds  of  homes  of  which 
there  remained  nothing  but  blackened  ruins.  As 
the  weeks  passed  and  the  Indians  saw  our  impo 
tence,  they  grew  bolder,  slipped  through  the  chain 
of  blockhouses,  and  ravaged  the  country  east  of  us, 
disappearing  into  the  woods  as  if  by  magic  at  the 
first  alarm. 

The  month  of  August  and  the  first  portion  of 
September  wore  away  in  this  dreary  manner,  and 
it  was  perhaps  a  week  later  that  Colonel  Washing 
ton  sent  me  to  Frederick  to  make  arrangements 
for  some  supplies.  The  distance,  which  was  a  scant 
fifty  miles,  was  over  a  well-traveled  road,  and 
through  a  district  so  well  protected  that  the  Indians 
had  not  dared  to  visit  it ;  so  I  rode  out  of  the  fort 
one  morning,  taking  with  me  only  my  negro  boy 
Sam,  whom  I  had  selected  for  my  servant  since  the 
day  he  had  warned  me  against  Polete.  I  remem 
ber  that  the  day  was  very  warm,  and  that  there  was 
no  air  stirring,  so  that  we  pushed  forward  with  in 
different  speed.  At  noon  we  reached  a  farmhouse 
owned  by  John  Evans,  where  we  remained  until 


A  WARNING  FROM  THE   FOREST         289 

the  heat  had  somewhat  moderated,  and  set  forward 
again  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

We  had  ridden  for  near  an  hour,  and  I  was 
deep  in  my  own  thoughts,  when  I  heard  something 
breaking  its  way  through  the  underbrush,  and 
the  next  moment  my  horse  shied  violently  as  a 
negro  stumbled  blindly  into  the  road  and  collapsed 
into  a  heap  before  he  had  taken  half  a  dozen  steps 
along  it.  I  reined  up  sharply,  and  as  I  did  so, 
heard  Sam  give  a  shrill  cry  of  alarm. 

"  Shut  up,  boy,"  I  cried,  "  and  get  off  and  see 
what  ails  the  man.  He  can't  hurt  you." 

But  Sam  sat  in  his  saddle  clutching  at  his  horse's 
neck,  his  face  spotted  with  terror  as  I  had  seen  it 
once  before. 

"  What  is  it,  Sam  ?  "  I  asked  impatiently. 

"  Good  Gawd,  Mas'  Tom,"  he  cried,  his  teeth 
chattering  together  and  cutting  off  his  words 
queerly,  "  don'  yo'  see  who  't  is  ?  Don'  yo'  know 
him  ?  " 

"  Know  him  ?  No,  of  course  not,"  I  answered 
sharply.  "  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  Polete,"  gasped  Sam.  "  Polete,  come  back 
aftah  me,"  and  seemed  incapable  of  another  word. 

In  an  instant  I  was  off  my  horse  and  kneeling  in 
the  road  beside  the  fallen  man.  Not  till  then  did 
I  believe  it  was  Polete.  From  a  great  gash  in  the 
side  of  his  head  the  blood  had  soaked  into  his  hair 
and  dried  over  his  face.  His  shirt  was  stained, 
apparently  from  a  wound  in  his  breast,  but  most 
horrible  of  all  was  a  circular,  reeking  spot  on  the 
crown  of  his  head  from  which  the  scalp  had  been 


290  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

stripped.  It  needed  no  second  glance  to  tell  me 
that  Polete  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 

By  this  time  Sam  had  partially  recovered  his 
wits,  and  being  convinced  that  it  was  Polete  in  the 
flesh,  not  in  the  spirit,  brought  some  water  from  a 
spring  at  the  roadside.  I  bathed  Polete's  head  as 
well  as  I  could,  and  washed  the  blood  from  his  face. 
Tearing  open  his  shirt,  I  saw  that  blood  was  slowly 
welling  from  an  ugly  wound  in  his  breast.  He 
opened  his  eyes  after  a  moment,  and  stared  vacantly 
up  into  my  face. 

"Debbils,"  he  moaned,  "debbils,  t'  kill  a  po'  ole 
man.  Ain't  I  said  I  done  gwine  t'  lib  wid  yo'  ? 
Kain't  trabble  fas'  'nough  fo'  yo'  ?  Don'  shoot,  oh, 
don'  shoot !  Ah !  " 

He  dropped  back  again  into  the  road  with  a 
groan,  and  tossed  from  side  to  side.  I  thought  he 
was  dying,  but  when  I  dashed  more  water  in  his 
face,  he  opened  his  eyes  again.  This  time  he  seemed 
to  know  me. 

"Is  it  Mas'  Tom?"  he  gasped.  "Mas'  Tom 
what  let  me  go  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Polete,"  I  answered  gently,  "  it 's  Master 
Tom." 

"  Whar  am  I  ?  "  he  asked  faintly.  "  Have  dee 
got  me  'gin  ?  Dee  gwine  to  buhn  me  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  I  said.  "  Nobody  's  going  to  harm 
you,  Polete.  Where  have  you  been  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  In  d'  woods,"  he  whispered,  "  hidin'  in  d' 
swamps,  an'  skulkin'  long  aftah  night.  Could  n' 
nevah  sleep,  Mas'  Tom.  When  I  went  t'  sleep, 
seemed  laike  d'  dogs  was  right  aftah  me." 


A   WARNING   FROM  THE   FOREST         291 

His  head  fell  back  again,  and  a  rush  of  blood  in 
his  throat  almost  choked  him. 

"  Wish  I  'd  stayed  at  d'  plantation,  Mas'  Tom," 
he  whispered.  "  Nothin'  could  n'  been  no  wo'se 
'n  what  I  went  f  rough.  Kep' '  long  d'  ribbah,  laike 
yo'  said,  but  could  n'  git  nothin'  t'  eat  only  berries 
growin'  in  d'  woods.  Got  mighty  weak,  'n'  den  las' 
night  met  d'  Injuns." 

"  Last  night !  "  I  cried.     "  Where,  Polete  ?  " 

"Obah  dah 'long  d' ribbah,"  he  answered  faintly. 
"  Dee  gib  me  some'n'  t'  eat,  an'  I  frought  maybe 
dee  'd  take  me  'long,  but  dis  mornin'  dee  had  a  big 
powwow,  an'  dee  shot  me  an'  knock  me  in  d'  haid. 
Seems  laike  dee  's  gwine  t'  buhn  a  big  plantation 
t'-night." 

"  A  big  plantation,  Polete  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Where? 
Tell  me  —  oh,  you  must  tell  me !  " 

But  his  head  had  fallen  back,  and  his  eyes  were 
closed.  There  was  another  burst  of  blood  from 
his  nose  and  mouth.  I  threw  water  over  his  face, 
slapped  his  hands,  and  shouted  into  his  ears,  but  to 
no  avail.  Sam  brought  me  another  hatful  of  water, 
but  his  hands  trembled  so  that  when  he  set  it  down, 
he  spilled  half  of  it.  I  dashed  what  was  left  over 
the  dying  man,  but  his  breathing  grew  slow  and 
slower,  and  still  his  eyes  were  closed.  I  trembled 
to  think  what  would  happen  should  I  never  learn 
where  the  Indians  were  going,  if  Polete  should 
never  open  his  eyes  again  to  tell  me.  But  he  did, 
at  last,  —  oh,  how  long  it  seemed  !  —  he  did,  and 
gazed  up  at  me  with  a  little  smile. 

"Reckon  it 's  all  obah  wid  ole  Polete,  Mas'  Tom," 
he  whispered. 


292  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Where  is  this  plantation,  Polete  ? "  I  asked. 
"  The  plantation  the  Indians  are  going  to  attack. 
Quick,  tell  me." 

He  looked  at  me  a  moment  longer  before  answer 
ing. 

"  D'  plantation?  Obah  dah,  eight,  ten  mile,  neah 
d'  ribbah,"  and  he  made  a  faint  little  motion  north 
ward  with  his  hand.  The  motion,  slight  as  it  was, 
brought  on  another  hemorrhage.  His  eyes  looked 
up  into  mine  for  a  moment  longer,  and  then,  even 
as  I  gazed  at  them,  grew  fixed  and  glazed.  Old 
Polete  was  dead. 

We  laid  him  by  the  side  of  the  road  and  rolled 
two  or  three  logs  over  him.  More  we  could  not 
do,  for  every  moment  was  precious. 

"  Sam,"  I  said  quickly,  as  we  finished  our  task, 
"  you  must  ride  to  the  fort  as  fast  as  your  horse 
will  carry  you.  Tell  Colonel  Washington  that  I 
sent  you,  and  that  the  Indians  are  going  to  attack 
some  big  plantation  on  the  river  eight  or  ten  miles 
north  of  here.  Tell  him  that  I  have  gone  on  to 
warn  them.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sah,"  he  gasped. 

"  Well,  don't  you  forget  a  word  of  it,"  I  said 
sternly.  "  You  can  reach  the  fort  easily  by  nine 
o'clock  to-night.  Now,  be  off." 

He  hesitated  a  moment. 

"  What  is  it?"  I  cried.  "You  are  not  afraid, 
boy?" 

He  rubbed  his  eyes  and  began  to  whimper. 

"Not  fo'  myself,  Mas'  Tom,"  he  said.  "But 
yo'  gwine  t'  ride  right  into  d'  Injuns.  Dee  '11  git 
yo'  suah." 


A  WARNING  FROM  THE  FOREST        293 

"Nonsense!"  I  retorted  sharply.  "I'll  get 
through  all  right,  and  we  can  easily  hold  out  till 
reinforcements  come.  Now  get  on  your  horse. 
Remember,  the  faster  you  go,  the  surer  you  '11  be 
to  save  us  all." 

He  swung  himself  into  the  saddle,  and  turned 
for  a  moment  to  look  at  me,  the  tears  streaming 
down  his  face.  He  seemed  to  think  me  as  good  as 
dead  already. 

"  Good-by,  Sam,"  I  said. 

"  Good-by,  Mas'  Tom,"  and  he  put  spurs  to  his 
horse  and  set  off  down  the  road. 

I  watched  him  until  the  trees  hid  him  from 
sight,  and  then  sprang  upon  my  horse  and  started 
forward.  Eight  or  ten  miles,  Polete  had  said, 
northward  near  the  river.  The  road  served  me 
for  some  miles,  and  then  I  came  to  a  cross  road, 
which  seemed  well  traveled.  Not  doubting  that 
this  led  to  the  plantation  of  which  I  was  in  search, 
I  turned  into  it,  and  proceeded  onward  as  rapidly 
as  the  darkness  of  the  woods  permitted.  Evening 
was  at  hand,  and  under  the  overlapping  branches 
of  the  trees,  the  gloom  grew  deep  and  deeper.  At 
last,  away  to  the  right,  I  caught  the  gleam  of  water, 
and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  knew  I  was  near  the 
river  and  so  on  the  right  road.  The  house  could 
not  be  much  farther  on.  With  renewed  vigor  I 
urged  my  horse  forward,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  clearing,  and  there  before 
me  was  the  house. 

But  it  was  not  this  which  drew  my  eyes.  Far 
away  on  the  other  side,  concealed  from  the  house 


294  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

by  a  grove  of  trees,  a  shadowy  line  of  tiny  figures 
was  emerging  from  the  forest.  Even  as  I  looked, 
they  vanished,  and  I  rubbed  my  eyes  in  bewilder 
ment.  Yet  I  knew  they  had  not  deceived  me.  It 
was  the  war  party  preparing  for  the  attack. 

I  set  spurs  to  my  horse  and  galloped  the  jaded 
beast  toward  the  house  as  fast  as  his  weary  legs 
would  carry  him.  As  I  drew  near,  I  saw  it  was 
a  large  and  well-built  mansion.  Lights  gleamed 
through  the  open  doors  and  windows.  Evidently 
none  there  dreamed  of  danger,  and  I  thanked  God 
that  I  should  be  in  time.  In  a  moment  I  was  at 
the  door,  and  as  I  threw  myself  from  the  saddle,  I 
heard  from  the  open  window  a  ringing  laugh  which 
thrilled  me  through  and  through,  for  I  knew  that 
the  voice  was  Dorothy's. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

I   FIND   MYSELF   IN   A   DELICATE   SITUATION 

I  STAGGERED  up  the  steps,  reeling  as  from  a 
blow  on  the  head,  and  a  negro  met  me  at  the  top. 

"  Where  is  your  master  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Kun'l  Ma'sh  's  obah  at  Frederick,  sah,"  he  an 
swered,  looking  at  me  with  astonished  eyes. 

"  Your  mistress,  then,  quick,  boy  !  "  and  as  he 
turned  toward  the  open  door  with  a  gesture  of  his 
hand,  I  hurried  after  him.  There  was  a  buzz  of 
conversation  in  the  room  as  we  approached,  but  it 
ceased  abruptly  as  we  entered.  I  felt  rather  than 
saw  that  Dorothy  was  there,  but  I  looked  only  at 
the  plump  little  woman  who  half  rose  from  her 
chair  and  stared  at  me  in  astonishment.  I  suppose 
my  appearance  was  sufficiently  surprising,  but 
there  was  no  time  to  think  of  that. 

"A  gen'leman  t'  see  yo',  Mis'  Ma'sh,"  said  my 
guide. 

I  had  not  caught  the  name  before,  but  now  I 
understood,  and  as  I  looked  at  the  woman  before 
me,  I  saw  her  likeness  to  her  son. 

"  I  am  Captain  Stewart,  Mrs.  Marsh,"  I  said, 
controlling  my  voice  as  well  as  I  could.  "You 
may,  perhaps,  have  heard  of  me.  If  not,  there  are 
others  present  who  can  vouch  for  me,"  but  I  did 
not  move  my  eyes  from  her  face. 


296  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  That  is  quite  unnecessary,  Captain  Stewart," 
she  cried,  coming  to  me  and  giving  me  her  hand 
very  prettily.  "  I  knew  your  grandfather,  and  you 
resemble  him  greatly."  And  then  she  stopped 
suddenly  and  grew  very  pale.  "  I  remember  now," 
she  said.  "  You  were  in  dear  Harry's  company." 

"  I  was  not  in  his  company,  but  I  knew  and 
loved  him  well,"  I  answered  gently,  taking  both 
her  hands  and  holding  them  tight  in  mine.  "  He 
was  a  brave  and  gallant  boy,  and  lost  his  life  while 
trying  to  save  another's.  I  was  with  him  when  he 
fell." 

She  came  close  to  me,  and  I  could  feel  that  she 
was  trembling. 

"  And  did  he  suffer  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Oh,  I  can 
not  bear  to  think  that  he  should  suffer  !  " 

"  He  did  not  suffer,"  I  said.  "  He  was  shot 
through  the  heart.  He  did  not  have  an  instant's 
pain." 

She  was  crying  softly  against  my  shoulder,  but 
I  held  her  from  me. 

"  Mrs.  Marsh,"  I  said,  "  it  is  not  of  Harry  we 
must  think  now,  but  of  ourselves.  This  afternoon 
I  learned  that  the  Indians  had  planned  an  attack 
upon  this  place  to-night.  I  sent  my  servant  back 
to  the  fort  for  reinforcements  and  rode  on  to  give 
the  alarm.  As  I  neared  the  house,  I  saw  their  war 
party  skulking  in  the  woods,  so  that  the  attack 
may  not  be  long  delayed." 

Her  face  had  turned  ashen,  and  I  was  glad  that 
I  had  kept  her  hands  in  mine,  else  she  would  have 
fallen. 


IN  A  DELICATE  SITUATION  297 

"  There  is  no  danger,"  I  added  cheerily.  "  We 
must  close  the  doors  and  windows,  and  we  can 
easily  keep  them  off  till  morning.  The  troops  will 
be  here  by  that  time." 

"  Oh,  do  you  think  so  ?  "  she  gasped. 

"I  am  sure  of  it.  Now,  will  you  give  the  orders 
to  the  servants  ?  " 

But  that  was  not  necessary.  The  man  who  had 
shown  me  in  had  heard  my  words,  and  already 
had  the  other  servants  at  work,  closing  and  bar 
ring  doors  and  windows.  I  saw  that  my  assistance 
was  not  needed. 

Then  for  the  first  time  I  looked  at  Dorothy. 
She  was  standing,  leaning  lightly  with  one  hand 
upon  a  table,  her  eyes  large  and  dark  with  terror, 
and  her  lips  quivering,  perhaps  at  the  scene  which 
had  gone  before.  Her  mother  was  seated  by  her, 
and  it  was  to  her  I  turned. 

"  I  beg  you  to  believe,  Mrs.  Stewart,"  I  said, 
"  that  I  did  not  know  you  and  your  daughter  were 
here.  Indeed,  I  thought  you  both  were  back  at 
Biverview  ere  this." 

"  I  believe  you,  Mr.  Stewart,"  she  answered 
softly.  "  I  believe  you  to  be  a  man  of  honor.  I 
am  sure  I  can  trust  you." 

There  was  a  tone  in  her  voice  which  I  had  never 
heard  before. 

"  Thank  you,"  I  said.  "  I  shall  try  to  deserve 
your  trust,"  and  then  I  turned  away  to  look  to  our 
defenses. 

I  confess  that,  after  the  first  five  minutes,  our 
situation  appeared  more  perilous  than  I  had  at 


298  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

first  believed  it.  There  was  no  white  man  in  the 
house  except  myself,  only  a  dozen  negro  servants, 
five  of  whom  were  men.  A  boy,  whom  I  sent  to 
the  negro  quarters  to  bring  reinforcements,  re 
turned  with  the  news  that  they  were  deserted,  but 
he  brought  back  with  him  the  overseer,  a  man 
named  Brightson,  who  was  to  prove  his  mettle 
before  the  night  was  out. 

"  I  suspected  this  afternoon  that  there  was  some 
thing  in  the  wind,"  he  said  to  me,  when  I  had 
explained  our  situation,  "  though  I  could  not 
guess  what  it  was.  The  niggers  were  so  damned 
quiet,  not  singing  in  the  field  as  they  always 
do.  They  've  been  mighty  uneasy  for  a  month 
back." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  I  interrupted.  "  It 's  the  same 
all  over  the  colony.  They  think  the  French  are 
going  to  help  them  kill  the  English.  I  'm  rather 
glad  they  ran  away.  How  about  these  house 
niggers?  " 

"  Oh,  they  're  all  right,  especially  Pomp  there. 
They  '11  help  us  all  they  can." 

"  That  makes  seven  of  us,  then.  Can  you 
shoot?" 

"  Try  me,"  he  answered  simply. 

"  All  right,"  I  said.  "  We  '11  pull  through,  I 
think.  Indians  are  no  good  at  anything  but  a  sur 
prise.  I  dare  say  some  of  the  niggers  have  told 
them  that  there  would  be  no  men  here  to-night,  so 
they  think  they  '11  have  an  easy  victory." 

I  had  ordered  Pomp  to  bring  to  the  hall  all  the 
arms  and  ammunition  in  the  house,  and  at  this 


299 

moment  he  touched  me  on  the  elbow  and  told  me 
this  was  done.  Brightson  and  I  looked  over  the 
collection,  and  found  it  as  complete  as  could  be 
desired.  There  were  a  dozen  muskets,  half  a 
dozen  pairs  of  pistols,  a  pile  of  swords  and  hangers, 
and  ammunition  in  plenty.  Evidently,  Colonel 
Marsh  had  foreseen  the  possibility  of  an  Indian 
attack,  and  was  prepared  to  receive  it.  A  tour  of 
the  house  showed  me,  moreover,  that  it  had  been 
built  with  the  same  possibility  in  view.  The  doors 
and  shutters  were  all  strong  and  double-barred, 
and  moreover  were  loopholed  in  a  way  that  ena 
bled  us  to  command  both  approaches.  I  divided 
the  arms,  and  posted  Brightson  with  three  men  at 
the  rear  door,  while  I,  with  Pomp  and  another 
negro,  took  a  place  at  the  front.  The  women  I 
sent  to  the  top  of  the  staircase,  where  they  would 
be  out  of  reach  of  any  flying  bullets,  and  could 
at  the  same  time  see  what  was  going  on.  It  was 
my  aunt  who  protested  against  this  arrangement. 

"  Can  we  not  be  of  use,  Captain  Stewart  ?  "  she 
asked.  "  We  could  at  least  load  the  muskets  for 

you." 

"  And  I  am  sure  that  I  could  fire  one,"  cried 
Dorothy. 

"  No,  no,"  I  laughed.  "  Time  enough  for  that 
when  there  is  need.  They  will  not  fancy  the  re 
ception  they  will  get,  and  may  not  return  for  a 
second  dose."  And  with  a  sudden  tenderness  at 
my  heart,  right  under  the  eyes  of  Mrs.  Stewart,  I 
reached  up,  caught  Dorothy's  hand,  and  kissed  it. 
When  I  glanced  up  again,  I  saw  that  she  was 


300  A   SOLDIER   OF   VIRGINIA 

smiling  down  at  me,  but  I  dared  not  look  at  her 
mother's  face. 

I  had  wondered  at  first  why  the  attack  was  not 
made  at  once,  but  as  I  stood  looking  out  at  my 
loophole,  I  perceived  the  reason.  The  first  shade 
of  evening  had  found  the  moon  high  in  the  hea 
vens,  and  it  was  now  rapidly  sinking  toward  the 
line  of  trees  which  marked  the  horizon.  Once 
plunged  behind  them,  the  darkness  would  enable 
the  Indians  to  creep  up  to  the  house  unseen.  I 
watched  the  moon  as  it  dropped  slowly  down  the 
sky.  The  lower  rim  just  touched  the  treetops  — 
then  it  was  half  behind  them  —  then  it  had  dis 
appeared,  and  the  world  was  plunged  in  dark 
ness.  I  peered  into  the  gloom  with  starting  eyes, 
but  could  see  nothing.  I  strained  my  ears,  but 
could  catch  no  sound  ;  three  or  four  tense  minutes 
passed,  I  could  have  sworn  it  was  half  an  hour. 
One  of  the  negro  women  on  the  stair  screamed 
slightly,  and,  as  though  it  were  a  signal,  there  came 
a  great  blow  upon  the  door  and  pandemonium 
arose  without.  I  fired  blindly  through  my  loop 
hole,  seized  the  musket  at  my  side,  and  fired  a 
second  time,  then  emptied  both  my  pistols  out  into 
the  night.  It  seemed  to  me  a  hundred  rifles  were 
being  fired  at  once.  The  hall  was  full  of  smoke 
and  the  pungent  smell  of  powder,  and  then,  in  a 
second,  all  was  still. 

But  only  for  a  second.  For  there  came  another 
chorus  of  yells  from  a  distance,  and  I  could  hear 
the  negro  women  on  the  steps  behind  me  wailing 
softly. 


IN  A  DELICATE   SITUATION  301 

"  Load !  "  I  shouted.  "  Load,  Pomp !  They  will 
be  back  in  a  minute,"  and  then  I  ran  to  the  other 
door  to  see  how  Brightson  fared. 

"  All  right,"  he  said  cheerfully,  in  answer  to  my 
question.  "  We  could  n't  see  'em,  but  we  emptied 
a  good  deal  of  lead  out  there,  and  I  think  from 
the  way  they  yelled  we  must  have  hit  two  or  three." 

"  Keep  it  up  !  "  I  cried.  "  We  '11  drive  them  off 
easily,"  and  with  a  word  of  encouragement  to  the 
negroes,  I  returned  to  my  post.  As  I  neared  the 
door,  I  saw  two  figures  in  white  working  over 
the  guns.  It  was  Dorothy  and  her  mother,  help 
ing  the  negroes  reload.  I  sent  them  back  to  the 
stair  with  affected  sternness,  but  I  got  a  second 
hand-clasp  from  Dorothy  as  she  passed  me. 

Then  came  another  long  period  of  waiting,  which 
racked  the  nerves  until  the  silence  grew  well-nigh 
insupportable.  The  darkness  without  was  abso 
lute,  and  there  was  not  a  sound  to  disturb  the  still 
ness.  The  minutes  passed,  and  I  was  just  begin 
ning  to  hope  that  the  Indians  had  already  got 
enough,  when  I  caught  the  faint  shuffle  of  mocca- 
sined  feet  on  the  porch,  and  again  the  door  was 
struck  a  terrific  blow,  which  made  it  groan  on  its 
hinges.  I  fired  out  into  the  darkness  as  fast  as  I 

o 

could  lay  down  one  gun  and  pick  up  another,  and 
again  the  uproar  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had 
begun.  As  I  turned  away  a  moment  from  the 
loophole,  I  saw  that  Pomp  had  sunk  down  to  the 
floor,  his  hands  to  his  head. 

"  What  is  it,  Pomp  ?  "  I  cried,  as  I  bent  over 
him,  but  there  was  no  need  for  him  to  answer, 


302  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

even  had  he  been  able.  A  bullet,  entering  the  loop 
hole  through  which  he  was  firing,  had  struck  his 
left  eye  and  entered  the  head.  The  other  negro 
and  myself  laid  him  to  one  side  against  the  wall, 
and  when  I  went  to  him  ten  minutes  later  to  see 
if  there  was  anything  I  could  do,  he  was  dead. 
I  turned  away  to  the  women  to  say  some  words 
of  cheer  and  comfort  to  them,  when  a  call  from 
Brightson  startled  me. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  I  asked,  as  I  reached 
his  side,  and  for  answer  he  pointed  out  through  the 
loophole. 

"  They  have  fired  the  nigger  quarters  and  out 
buildings,"  he  said  grimly.  "  They  '11  probably 
try  to  fire  the  house  next." 

Even  as  we  looked,  the  flames  rose  high  above 
the  roofs  of  the  cabins  and  bathed  the  clearing  in 
red  radiance.  In  and  out  among  the  buildings 
we  could  see  the  Indians  scampering,  a  hundred 
of  them  at  least.  Suddenly  there  was  a  chorus 
of  yells,  and  two  Indians  appeared,  rolling  a  cask 
before  them  into  the  belt  of  light. 

"  They  've  found  a  keg  of  rum  which  was  in  my 
quarters,"  remarked  Brightson  ;  "  now  they  '11  get 
crazy  drunk.  Our  task  has  just  begun,  Captain 
Stewart." 

I  realized  that  he  spoke  the  truth.  Sober,  an 
Indian  will  not  stand  up  long  in  open  fight,  but 
drunk,  he  is  a  devil  incarnate,  —  a  fiend  who  will 
dare  anything.  I  watched  them  as  they  knocked  in 
the  head  of  the  cask  and  scooped  up  the  raw  spir 
its  within.  Then  one  of  them  began  a  melancholy 


IN   A  DELICATE   SITUATION  303 

melody,  which  rose  and  fell  in  measured  cadence, 
the  other  warriors  gradually  joining  in  and  stamp 
ing  the  ground  with  their  feet.  Every  minute  one 
would  run  to  the  cask  for  another  draught  of  the 
rum,  and  gradually  their  yells  grew  louder,  their 
excitement  more  intense,  as  they  rushed  back  and 
forth  brandishing  their  weapons. 

"  They  will  soon  be  on  us  again,"  said  Bright- 
son  in  a  low  tone,  but  round  and  round  they  kept 
dancing,  their  leader  in  front  in  all  his  war  trap 
pings,  the  others  almost  naked,  and  for  the  most 
part  painted  black.  No  wonder  I  had  been  unable 
to  see  them  in  the  darkness. 

"  They  are  going  to  attack  us  again,  Tom,  are 
they  not  ?  "  asked  a  low  voice  at  my  elbow. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  cried,  "  what  are  you  doing  here? 
Come,  you  must  get  back  to  the  stair  at  once. 
The  attack  may  come  at  any  moment." 

"  You  are  treating  me  like  a  child,"  she  protested, 
and  her  eyes  flashed  passionately.  "  Do  you  think 
we  are  cowards,  we  women  ?  We  will  not  be 
treated  so !  We  have  come  to  help  you." 

I  looked  at  her  in  amazement.  This  was  not 
the  Dorothy  I  knew,  but  a  braver,  sweeter  one. 
Her  mother  and  Mrs.  Marsh  were  behind  her, 
both  looking  equally  determined. 

"  Very  well,"  I  said,  yielding  with  an  ill  grace. 
"  You  may  sit  on  the  floor  here  and  load  the  guns 
as  we  fire  them.  That  will  be  of  greater  service 
than  if  you  fired  them  yourselves,  and  you  will  be 
quite  out  of  reach  of  the  bullets." 

Dorothy  sniffed  contemptuously  at  my  last  words, 


304  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

but  deigned  to  sit  down  beside  the  other  women.  I 
placed  the  powder  and  ball  where  they  could  reach 
them  easily,  shaded  a  candle  so  that  it  threw  its 
light  only  on  the  floor  beside  them,  gave  them  a 
few  directions  about  loading,  and  rejoined  Bright- 
son  at  his  loophole.  The  Indians  had  stopped 
dancing,  and  were  engaged  in  heaping  up  a  great 
pile  of  burning  logs. 

"  What  are  they  about  ?  "  I  asked. 

Brightson  looked  at  me  with  a  grim  light  in  his 
eyes. 

"  They  're  going  to  try  to  burn  us  out,"  he  said, 
and  almost  before  he  had  spoken,  the  Indians 
seized  a  hundred  burning  brands  from  the  fire,  and 
waving  them  about  their  heads  to  fan  them  to  a 
brighter  flame,  started  toward  us. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


I  HAD  barely  time  to  get  back  to  my  post  at  the 
front  door  when  they  were  upon  us.  I  fired  out 
into  the  rabble,  and  as  I  turned  to  get  another  gun, 
Dorothy  was  at  my  side  and  thrust  it  into  my  hands. 
There  was  no  time  to  protest,  even  had  I  not  real 
ized,  as  I  glanced  into  her  eyes,  that  protestation 
would  be  useless.  I  fired  a  second  time,  when  a 
tremendous  explosion  in  the  hall  at  my  side  star 
tled  me.  I  saw  in  a  moment  what  had  happened. 
The  negro  who  was  at  the  other  loophole,  dazed 
with  fear,  had  discharged  his  gun  straight  into  the 
ceiling  overhead,  and  then,  flinging  it  down,  turned 
and  ran.  I  could  not  pursue  him,  and  grabbing  a 
third  gun  from  Dorothy,  I  fired  again  at  the  Indi 
ans,  some  of  whom  were  swarming  up  the  steps. 
As  I  did  so,  I  stared  an  instant  in  amazement,  for 
at  the  shot  two  men  had  fallen.  As  I  turned  back 
for  another  musket,  I  saw  Mrs.  Stewart  at  the  other 
loophole,  a  smoking  rifle  in  her  hands,  into  which 
she  was  feverishly  ramming  another  charge.  It 
was  a  sight  that  made  my  heart  leap,  and  I  found 
myself  suddenly  admiring  her.  But  before  either 
of  us  could  fire  again,  the  Indians  were  gone,  and 
a  chorus  of  yells  and  sharp  firing  told  me  they 


306  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

were  attacking  Brightson's  side  of  the  house.  The 
noise  died  away  after  a  moment,  and  they  appeared 
again  some  distance  off,  looking  back  eagerly  as 
though  expecting  something. 

I  saw  with  a  start  that  their  firebrands  were  no 
longer  in  their  hands,  and  a  moment  later  a  puff  of 
smoke  from  the  corner  of  the  house  and  the  exult 
ant  yells  of  the  savages  warned  me  of  our  new 
danger.  As  I  turned  from  the  door,  I  met  Bright- 
son  coming  to  seek  me  with  an  anxious  face. 

"  They  have  fired  the  house,  Captain  Stewart," 
he  said. 

"  I  fear  so.  We  must  find  the  place  and  put  out 
the  flames." 

Without  a  word  he  turned  and  followed  me,  and 
we  opened  the  shutters  a  little  here  and  there  and 
looked  out.  We  soon  found  what  we  were  seeking. 
As  the  Indians  had  dashed  around  the  house  from 
front  to  rear,  they  had  approached  the  side  and 
piled  their  burning  brands  against  the  boards.  We 
looked  down  from  the  window  and  saw  that  the 
house  had  already  caught  fire.  In  a  few  moments 
the  flames  would  be  beyond  control.  I  was  back 
to  the  hall  in  an  instant. 

"  Is  there  any  water  in  the  house  ?  "  I  asked  of 
Mrs.  Marsh,  who  was  seated  on  the  floor  reloading 
our  guns  with  a  coolness  which  told  me  where  her 
son  had  got  his  gallantry. 

She  looked  at  me  an  instant  with  face  whitened 
by  a  new  fear. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  the  house  is  on  fire  ?  "  she 
asked. 


A  DESPERATE   DEFENSE  307 

I  nodded. 

"There  is  no  water,"  she  said  very  quietly. 
"  The  well  is  a  hundred  yards  from  the  house." 

I  beckoned  to  the  negroes,  who  were  listening  in 
an  anxious  group,  and  hastened  back  to  Brightson. 

"There  is  no  water,"  I  said  to  him  briefly.  "  I 
am  going  to  open  the  shutter,  drop  down,  and  knock 
the  fire  away  from  the  house.  Do  you  be  ready  to 
pull  me  back  in  again,  when  I  have  finished." 

"But  it  is  death  to  do  that,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  No,  no,"  I  said.  "  You  and  the  boys  can  keep 
them  off.  There  is  no  other  way." 

He  turned  from  me  and  looked  about  the  room. 

"  This  will  save  you,"  he  cried,  and  ran  to  a 
heavy  oak  table  which  stood  in  one  corner.  I 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment  without  understand 
ing. 

"  We  will  throw  it  through  the  window,"  he 
explained.  "  You  can  drop  behind  it,  and  the 
Indians'  bullets  cannot  reach  you." 

I  saw  his  plan  before  he  had  finished,  and  we 
had  the  table  at  the  window  in  an  instant. 

"Now,  boys,  all  together,"  I  cried,  and  as  I 
threw  the  shutter  back,  they  lifted  the  table  to  the 
sill  and  pushed  it  through.  Before  the  Indians 
understood  what  was  happening,  I  had  dropped 
beside  it,  pulled  it  around  to  screen  me,  and  was 
kicking  the  brands  away  from  the  building. 
Then  they  understood,  and  made  a  rush  for  the 
house,  but  met  so  sharp  a  reception  from  Bright- 
son  and  his  men  that  they  fell  back,  and  contented 
themselves  with  keeping  up  a  sharp  fusilade  upon 


308  A   SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

ray  place  of  concealment.  It  was  the  work  of 
only  a  few  moments  to  kick  away  the  brands  and 
beat  out  the  flames  which  were  running  along  the 
side  of  the  house.  I  signaled  to  Brightson  that  I 
was  ready  to  return,  and  he  opened  a  heavy  fire 
upon  the  savages,  which  drove  them  for  a  moment 
out  of  musket  range.  Then  throwing  the  shutter 
back,  he  leaned  out,  grasped  my  hands,  and  pulled 
me  into  the  house  without  a  scratch. 

"  That 's  what  I  call  genius,"  he  observed,  as  he 
clapped  the  shutter  tight  and  shot  the  bar  into 
place.  "  I  fancy  they  're  getting  about  enough." 

"  I  trust  so,"  I  answered.  "  But  in  any  event, 
our  troops  will  be  here  in  two  or  three  hours 
more." 

We  stood  for  some  time  in  silence  and  watched 
the  Indians.  They  drew  together  near  one  of  the 
burning  buildings,  apparently  for  a  consultation, 
and  then  running  to  a  cabin  which  had  not  yet 
been  consumed,  they  tore  off  the  heavy  door  and 
shutters. 

"  They  have  n't  given  it  up  yet,"  remarked 
Brightson  grimly,  "  but  they  're  going  to  advance 
under  cover  this  time." 

Evidently  some  further  preparation  was  neces 
sary,  for  half  a  dozen  of  them  worked  away  busily 
for  some  time,  though  we  could  not  see  what  they 
were  doing. 

"What  new  deviltry  are  they  up  to  now?"  I 
heard  Brightson  mutter  to  himself,  but  I  could 
find  no  answer  to  his  question,  for  I  knew  little 
of  this  kind  of  warfare. 


A   DESPERATE   DEFENSE  309 

It  was  soon  answered  by  the  Indians  them 
selves.  A  dozen  of  them  ran  around  the  house  in 
different  directions,  e'ach  carrying  a  board,  while 
the  others,  after  paying  a  last  visit  to  the  cask  of 
rum,  grouped  themselves  opposite  the  rear  door, 
but  well  out  of  range.  We  watched  them  in 
breathless  silence.  Those  who  were  armed  with 
shields  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  until  within 
perhaps  fifty  yards.  We  fired  at  them,  but  seem 
ingly  without  effect.  Then  there  was  a  moment 
of  anxious  waiting,  and  almost  together  a  dozen 
streamers  of  fire  rose  high  into  the  air  and  de 
scended  toward  the  house.  Some  fell  harmlessly 
on  the  ground  without,  and  we  saw  that  they  were 
arrows  tipped  with  burning  tow,  but  the  most 
must  have  fallen  upon  the  roof.  A  second  and 
third  shower  of  fire  followed,  and  then  the  Indians 
withdrew  behind  their  shields  and  quietly  awaited 
the  result. 

"  They  have  set  fire  to  the  roof,"  I  gasped. 
"  We  must  put  it  out  at  once,  or  we  are  lost." 

"  Leave  that  to  me,  Captain  Stewart,"  said 
Brightson  quietly,  and  I  never  admired  the  cour 
age  of  a  man  more  than  I  did  his  at  that  moment. 
"  I  will  get  out  on  the  roof,  and  throw  the  arrows 
down.  I  don't  believe  they  can  hit  me." 

It  was  the  only  thing  to  do,  and  he  was  gone 
even  as  I  nodded  my  assent.  Five  minutes  passed, 
and  then  the  Indians  began  to  yell  again,  and  I 
knew  that  Brightson  had  reached  the  roof.  Al 
most  at  the  same  instant,  the  main  body  of  the 
savages  advanced  at  a  run,  some  of  them  carrying 


310  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

a  heavy  log,  the  others  holding  boards  in  front  of 
them.  We  sent  a  dozen  bullets  among  them  be 
fore  they  reached  the  door,  but  they  came  on  with 
out  faltering.  One  man,  very  tall  and  clad  in  a 
suit  of  fringed  buckskin,  ran  in  front  and  urged 
them  on.  I  fired  at  him  twice,  but  he  came  on  as 
before,  and  I  knew  that  I  had  wasted  the  bullets. 

Up  the  steps  they  came,  yelling  like  devils  fresh 
from  hell,  and  brought  the  log  crashing  against 
the  door,  while  others  thrust  their  muskets  through 
the  loopholes  and  fired  into  the  hallway.  One 
of  the  negroes  sank  down  without  a  groan,  the 
blood  spurting  from  his  neck,  and  another  dropped 
his  gun  with  a  yell,  and,  clapping  his  hands  to  his 
face,  ran  shrieking  down  the  hall. 

Again  the  log  thundered  against  the  door,  one 
of  the  bars  sprung  loose,  and  half  a  dozen  shots 
were  fired  into  the  hallway.  I  saw  that  the  door 
could  hold  but  a  moment  longer,  and  shouting  to 
the  negroes  to  fall  back,  I  retreated  to  the  stair, 
grabbing  up  a  hanger  as  I  passed  the  place  where 
we  had  piled  the  arms.  Running  back  again,  I 
caught  up  a  bag  of  powder  and  another  of  ball,  so 
that  we  might  not  be  utterly  without  ammuni 
tion,  and  with  these  sped  up  the  stair,  pushing  the 
women  before  me. 

We  were  not  an  instant  too  soon,  for  the  door 
crashed  down  at  the  next  blow,  and  the  savages 
poured  over  the  threshold.  They  paused  a  mo 
ment  to  see  what  had  become  of  us,  and  this  gave 
us  opportunity  to  pour  a  volley  into  them.  Then 
on  they  came,  the  man  in  buckskin  still  leading 


THE    SAVAGES    POURED   OVER   THE  THRESHOLD 


A  DESPERATE   DEFENSE  311 

them.  As  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  stair,  I  took 
steady  aim  at  him  with  my  pistol  and  pulled  the 
trigger.  But  he  seemed  to  have  some  intuition  of 
his  danger,  for  he  stooped  suddenly,  and  it  was  the 
man  behind  him  who  threw  up  his  hands,  sprang 
into  the  air,  and  fell  backward.  They  faltered  only 
for  an  instant,  and  then  swarmed  up  the  steps, 
their  greased  faces  gleaming  in  the  powder  flashes. 
I  thought  it  as  good  as  ended,  and  throwing  down 
my  musket,  caught  up  my  hanger  for  a  final 
stand,  when  something  was  thrown  past  me  and 
bounded  down  the  stair.  It  swept  half  the  Indians 
off  their  feet  and  carried  them  down  before  it, 
and  the  others,  not  knowing  what  had  happened, 
turned  and  ran  down  after  them.  Nor,  indeed, 
did  I  know  until  afterward,  when  I  learned  that 
Brightson,  coming  down  from  the  roof  and  taking 
in  our  peril  at  a  glance,  had  caught  up  a  great  log 
from  the  fireplace  in  the  upper  hall,  where  it  was 
awaiting  the  winter  lighting,  and,  with  a  strength 
little  short  of  superhuman,  had  hurled  it  down 
upon  the  savages. 

It  gave  us  respite  for  a  moment,  but  it  was  cer 
tain  they  would  charge  again,  and  I  knew  too  well 
what  the  result  would  be,  for  the  last  of  the  ne 
groes  had  flung  down  his  gun  and  run  away,  leav 
ing  only  Brightson  and  me  to  guard  the  women. 
It  was  Mrs.  Marsh  who  spoke  the  saving  word. 

"  Why  not  retreat  to  the  roof  ? "  she  said. 
"  They  could  not  get  at  us  there." 

It  was  the  only  chance  of  safety,  so  to  the  roof 
we  went,  the  women  first,  and  we  two  bringing 


312  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

up  the  rear.  Once  there,  we  closed  the  trap  and 
waited.  In  a  moment  we  heard  the  yell  which 
told  us  that  our  retreat  had  been  discovered,  and 
then  again  came  silence. 

"  This  is  no  ordinary  Indian  attack,"  said 
Brightson,  who  was  wiping  the  sweat  and  powder 
stains  from  his  face.  "  There  's  a  Frenchman  lead 
ing  them,  and  maybe  two  or  three.  Did  you  see 
that  fellow  in  buckskin  who  ran  in  front  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  gloomily.  "  I  have  fired  at 
him  three  times,  but  always  missed  him." 

"  Well,  he  is  no  Indian,"  said  Brightson,  "  in 
spite  of  his  painted  face.  If  they  had  n't  had  that 
cask  of  rum  and  him  to  lead  them,  they  would  have 
cleared  out  of  this  long  ago.  They  have  no  stom 
ach  for  this  kind  of  work,  unless  they  are  full  of 
liquor." 

The  sky  in  the  east  was  turning  from  black  to 
gray,  and  the  dawn  was  not  far  distant. 

"  Our  troops  will  soon  be  here,"  I  said,  and 
went  to  the  women  where  they  were  crouching 
behind  a  protecting  gable.  Dorothy,  her  mother, 
and  Mrs.  Marsh  were  sitting  side  by  side,  and  they 
all  smiled  at  me  as  I  approached. 

"  I  think  we  are  safe  here,"  I  said  as  cheerily 
as  I  could,  "  and  the  reinforcements  cannot  be  far 
away.  I  know  Colonel  Washington  too  well  to 
think  he  would  delay  a  moment  longer  than 
necessary  to  start  to  our  relief." 

"  You  have  made  a  brave  defense,  Captain 
Stewart,"  said  Mrs.  Marsh  earnestly.  "  I  realize 
what  would  have  been  our  fate  long  ere  this,  had 
you  not  been  here." 


A   DESPERATE  DEFENSE  313 

"  Nay,  madame,"  I  interrupted,  "  I  could  have 
done  little  by  myself.  I  have  learned  to-night 
that  the  women  of  Virginia  are  no  less  gallant 
than  the  men." 

"  Come,  come,"  laughed  Dorothy,  "  this  is  not 
a  drawing-room  that  you  need  think  you  must 
flatter  us,  Tom." 

I  glanced  at  Mrs.  Stewart,  and  saw  with  some 
surprise  that  she  too  was  smiling. 

"  'T  was  not  flattery,"  I  protested,  "  but  a  sim 
ple  statement  of  fact.  And  there  is  another  here," 
I  added,  turning  to  Mrs.  Marsh,  "  whose  conduct 
should  be  remembered.  I  have  never  seen  a 
braver  man,"  and  I  glanced  at  Brightson  where 
he  sat,  his  musket  across  his  knees. 

"  I  shall  remember  it,"  she  said,  as  she  followed 
my  eyes. 

A  burst  of  yells  and  a  piercing  cry  from  below 
interrupted  us. 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  asked  Dorothy,  white  to 
the  lips. 

"  They  have  found  one  of  the  negroes,"  I  an 
swered,  as  calmly  as  I  could.  "  They  ran  away, 
and  must  have  hidden  somewhere  in  the  house." 

We  sat  listening,  the  women  pale  and  horror- 
stricken,  and  even  Brightson  and  I  no  little 
moved.  The  yells  and  the  single  shrill  cry  were 
repeated  a  second  time  and  then  a  third,  and 
finally  all  was  still  again  save  for  the  negro  women 
wailing  softly,  as  they  rocked  themselves  to  and 
fro  behind  the  gable,  their  arms  about  their  knees. 
I  crept  back  to  my  station  by  the  trap  and  waited 


314  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

feverishly  for  what  should  happen  next.  We 
could  hear  steps  in  the  hall  below,  a  short  consul 
tation  and  a  clanking  of  arms,  and  then  all  was 
still. 

"  Here  they  come,"  said  Brightson,  between  his 
teeth,  and  even  as  he  spoke,  the  trap  was  thrown 
outward  by  a  great  force  from  below,  and  the 
savage  swarm  poured  forth  upon  the  roof.  I 
struck  madly  at  the  first  man,  and  saw  another 
fall,  pierced  by  a  bullet  from  Brightson's  gun, 
and  then  he  was  down  and  I  heard  the  sough  of 
a  knife  thrust  into  him. 

"  They  are  coming  !  They  are  coming  !  " 
screamed  a  shrill  voice  behind  me,  and  I  turned  to 
see  Dorothy  upright  on  the  roof,  pointing  away 
to  the  southward.  And  there,  sure  enough,  at  the 
edge  of  the  clearing,  was  a  troop  of  Virginians, 
galloping  like  mad.  Ah,  how  welcome  were  those 
blue  uniforms!  We  could  hear  them  cheering, 
and,  with  a  leaping  heart,  I  saw  it  was  Colonel 
Washington  himself  who  led  them. 

For  an  instant  the  Indians  stood  transfixed,  and 
then,  with  a  yell,  turned  back  toward  the  trap. 
All  save  one.  I  saw  him  raise  his  musket  to  his 
shoulder  and  take  deliberate  aim  at  Dorothy  as 
she  stood  there  outlined  in  white  against  the  purple 
sky.  I  sprang  at  him  with  a  cry  of  rage,  and 
dragged  his  gun  toward  me  as  he  pulled  the  trig 
ger.  There  was  a  burst  of  flame  in  my  face,  a 
ringing  in  my  ears,  I  felt  the  earth  slipping  from 
me,  and  knew  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

I   COME   INTO   MY   OWN 

IT  was  long  before  I  realized  that  that  white, 
bandaged  thing  lying  on  the  bed  before  me  was 
my  hand.  I  gazed  at  it  curiously  for  a  while  and 
stirred  it  slightly  to  make  sure,  —  what  a  mighty 
effort  that  little  motion  cost  me !  —  and  then  I 
became  aware  that  a  breeze  was  passing  across 
my  face,  and  a  peculiar  thing  about  it  was  that 
it  came  and  went  regularly  like  the  swinging  of 
a  pendulum.  And  when  I  raised  my  eyes  to 
see  what  this  might  mean,  I  found  myself  look 
ing  straight  into  the  astonished  face  of  Sam,  my 
boy. 

He  stared  at  me  for  a  moment,  his  eyes  starting 
from  his  head,  and  then  with  a  loud  cry  he  dropped 
the  fan  he  had  been  wielding  and  ran  from  the 
room,  clapping  his  hands  together  as  he  went,  as  I 
had  heard  negroes  do  under  stress  of  great  excite 
ment.  What  could  it  mean?  Again  my  eyes 
fell  upon  the  queer,  bandaged  thing  which  must  be 
my  hand.  Had  there  been  an  accident  ?  I  could 
not  remember,  and  while  my  mind  was  still  wres 
tling  with  the  question  in  a  helpless,  flabby  way,  I 
heard  the  swish  of  skirts  at  the  door,  and  there 
entered  who  but  Dorothy ! 


316  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Why,  Dorothy !  "  I  cried,  and  then  stopped, 
astonished  at  the  sound  of  my  own  voice.  It  was  not 
my  voice  at  all,  —  I  had  never  heard  it  before,  — 
and  it  seemed  to  come  from  a  great  way  off.  And 
what  astonished  me  more  than  anything  else  was 
that  Dorothy  did  not  seem  in  the  least  surprised 
by  it. 

"  Yes,  Tom,"  she  said,  and  she  came  to  the  bed 
side  and  laid  her  hand  upon  my  head.  Such  a 
cool,  soft  little  hand  it  was.  "  Why,  the  fever  is 
quite  gone  !  You  will  soon  be  well  again." 

I  tried  to  raise  my  hand  to  take  hers,  but  it  lay 
there  like  a  great  dead  weight,  and  I  could  scarcely 
move  it.  I  know  not  what  it  was,  but  at  the  sight 
of  her  standing  there  so  strong  and  brave  and 
sweet,  and  the  thought  of  myself  so  weak  and  help 
less,  the  tears  started  from  my  eyes  and  rolled 
down  my  cheeks  in  two  tiny  rivulets.  She  seemed 
to  understand  my  thought,  for  she  placed  one  of 
her  hands  in  mine,  and  with  the  other  wiped  my 
tears  away.  I  love  to  think  of  her  always  as  I  saw 
her  then,  bending  over  me  with  infinite  pity  in  her 
face  and  wiping  my  tears  away.  The  moment  of 
weakness  passed,  and  my  brain  seemed  clearer  than 
it  had  been. 

"  Have  I  been  ill  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Very  ill,  Tom,"  she  said.  "  But  now  you  will 
get  well  very  quickly." 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  me,  Dorothy  ?  " 

She  looked  at  me  a  moment  and  seemed  hesi 
tating  for  an  answer. 

"I  think  you  would  better  go   to  sleep   now, 


I   COME   INTO   MY   OWN  317 

Tom,"  she  said  at  last,  "and  when  you  wake 
again,  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  Very  well,"  I  answered  submissively,  and  in 
deed,  at  the  time,  my  brain  seemed  so  weary  that 
I  had  no  wish  to  know  more. 

She  gently  took  her  hand  from  mine  and  went  to 
a  table,  where  she  poured  something  from  a  bottle 
into  a  glass.  I  followed  her  with  my  eyes,  noting 
how  strong  and  confident  and  beautiful  she  was. 

"  Drink  this,  Tom,"  she  said,  bringing  the  glass 
back  to  the  bed  and  holding  it  to  my  lips.  I 
gulped  it  down  obediently,  and  then  watched  her 
again  as  she  went  to  the  window  and  drew  the 
blind.  She  came  back  in  a  moment  and  sat  down 
in  the  chair  from  which  I  had  startled  Sam.  She 
picked  up  the  fan  which  he  had  dropped,  and 
waved  it  softly  to  and  fro  above  me,  smiling  gently 
down  into  my  face.  And  as  I  lay  there  watching 
her,  the  present  seemed  to  slip  away  and  leave  me 
floating  in  a  land  of  clouds. 

But  when  I  opened  my  eyes  again,  it  all  came 
back  to  me  in  an  instant,  and  I  called  aloud  for 
Dorothy.  She  was  bending  over  me  almost  be 
fore  the  sound  of  my  voice  had  died  away. 

"  Oh,  thank  God  !  "  I  cried.  •  "  It  was  only  a 
dream,  then !  You  are  safe,  Dorothy,  —  there 
were  no  Indians,  —  tell  me  it  was  only  a  dream." 

"  Yes,  I  am  quite  safe,  Tom,"  she  answered,  and 
took  my  hand  in  both  of  hers. 

"  And  the  Indians  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Were  frightened  away  by  Colonel  Washington 
and  his  men,  who  killed  many  of  them." 


318  A  SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

I  closed  my  eyes  for  a  moment,  and  tried  to 
reconstruct  the  drama  of  that  dreadful  night. 

"  Dorothy,"  I  asked  suddenly,  "  was  Brightson 
killed  ?  " 

"Yes,  Tom,"  she  answered  softly. 

I  sighed. 

"  He  was  a  brave  man,"  I  said.  "  No  man 
could  have  been  braver." 

"  Only  one,  I  think,"  and  she  smiled  down  at 
me  tremulously,  her  eyes  full  of  tears. 

"  Yes,  Colonel  Washington,"  I  said,  after  a  mo 
ment's  thought.  "  Perhaps  he  is  braver." 

"  I  was  not  thinking  of  Colonel  Washington, 
Tom,"  and  her  lips  began  to  tremble. 

I  gazed  at  her  a  moment  in  amazement. 

"  You  do  not  mean  me,  Dorothy  ?  "  I  cried.  "  Oh, 
no ;  I  am  not  brave.  You  do  not  know  how 
frightened  I  grow  when  the  bullets  whistle  around 
me." 

She  laid  her  fingers  on  my  lips  with  the  prettiest 
motion  in  the  world. 

"  Hush,"  she  said.  "  I  will  not  listen  to  such 
blasphemy." 

"  At  least,"  I  protested,  "  I  am  not  so  brave  as 
you,  —  no,  nor  as  your  mother,  Dorothy.  I  had 
no  thought  that  she  was  such  a  gallant  woman." 

"  Ah,  you  do  not  know  my  mother !  "  she  cried. 
"  But  you  shall  know  her  some  day,  Tom.  Nor 
has  she  known  you,  though  I  think  she  is  beginning 
to  know  you  better,  now." 

There  were  many  things  I  wished  to  hear, — 
many  questions  that  I  asked,  —  and  I  learned  how 


I  COME  INTO  MY  OWN  319 

Sam  had  galloped  on  until  he  reached  the  fort, 
how  he  had  given  the  alarm,  how  Colonel  Wash 
ington  himself  had  ridden  forth  twenty  minutes 
later  at  the  head  of  fifty  men,  —  all  who  could  be 
spared,  —  and  had  spurred  on  through  the  night, 
losing  the  road  more  than  once  and  searching  for 
it  with  hearts  trembling  with  fear  lest  they  should 
be  too  late,  and  how  they  had  not  been  too  late, 
but  had  saved  us,  —  saved  Dorothy. 

"  And  I  think  you  are  dearer  to  the  com 
mander's  heart  than  any  other  man,"  she  added. 
"  Indeed,  he  told  me  so.  For  he  stayed  here  with 
you  for  three  days,  watching  at  your  bedside,  until 
he  found  that  he  could  stay  no  longer,  and  then 
he  tore  himself  away  as  a  father  leaves  his  child. 
I  had  never  seen  him  moved  so  deeply,  for  you 
know  he  rarely  shows  emotion." 

Ah,  Dorothy,  you  did  not  know  him  as  did  I ! 
You  had  not  been  with  him  at  Great  Meadows,  nor 
beside  the  Monongahela,  nor  when  we  buried  Brad- 
dock  there  in  the  road  in  the  early  morning.  You 
had  not  been  with  him  at  Winchester  when  wives 
cried  to  him  for  their  husbands,  and  children  for 
their  parents,  nor  beside  the  desolated  hearths  of  a 
hundred  frontier  families.  And  of  a  sudden  it 
came  over  me  as  a  wave  rolls  up  the  beach,  how 
much  of  sorrow  and  how  little  of  joy  had  been  this 
man's  portion.  Small  wonder  that  his  face  seemed 
always  sad  and  that  he  rarely  smiled. 

Dorothy  had  left  me  alone  a  moment  with  my 
thoughts,  and  when  she  came  back,  she  brought  her 
mother  with  her.  I  had  never  seen  her  look  at  me 


320  A  SOLDIER  OF   VIRGINIA 

as  she  looked  now,  and  for  the  first  time  perceived 
that  it  was  from  her  Dorothy  got  her  eyes.  She 
stood  in  the  doorway  for  a  moment,  gazing  down 
at  me,  and  then,  before  I  knew  what  she  was  doing, 
had  fallen  on  her  knees  beside  my  bed  and  was 
kissing  my  bandaged  hand. 

"  Why,  aunt !  "  I  cried,  and  would  have  drawn 
it  from  her. 

"  Oh,  Tom,"  she  sobbed,  and  clung  to  it,  "  can 
you  forgive  me  ?  " 

"  Forgive  you,  aunt  ?  "  I  cried  again,  yet  more 
amazed.  "  What  have  you  done  that  you  should 
stand  in  need  of  my  forgiveness  ?  " 

"  What  have  I  done  ? "  she  asked,  and  raised 
her  face  to  mine.  "What  have  I  not  done, 
rather?  I  have  been  a  cold,  hard  woman,  Tom. 
I  have  forgot  what  right  and  justice  and  honor 
were.  But  I  shall  forget  no  longer.  Do  you  know 
what  I  have  here  in  my  breast?"  she  cried,  and 
she  snatched  forth  a  paper  and  held  it  before  my 
eyes.  "  You  could  never  guess.  It  is  a  letter  you 
wrote  to  me." 

"A  letter  I  wrote  to  you?"  I  repeated,  and 
then  as  I  saw  the  superscription,  I  felt  my  cheeks 
grow  hot.  For  it  read,  "  To  be  delivered  at  once 
to  Mrs.  Stewart." 

"  Ay,"  she  said,  "  a  letter  you  wrote  to  me,  and 
which  I  should  never  have  received  had  you  not 
forgot  it  and  left  it  lying  on  my  table  in  my  study 
at  Riverview.  Can  you  guess  what  I  felt,  Tom, 
when  they  brought  it  to  me  here,  and  I  opened  it 
and  read  that  you  had  gone  to  the  swamp  alone 


I   COME  INTO  MY   OWN  321 

amongst  those  devils  ?  I  thought  that  you  were 
dead,  since  the  letter  had  been  delivered,  and  the 
whole  extent  of  the  wrong  I  had  done  you  sprang 
up  before  me.  But  they  told  me  you  were  not 
dead,  —  that  Colonel  Washington  had  come  for 
you,  and  that  you  had  ridden  hastily  away  with 
him.  I  could  guess  the  story,  and  I  should  never 
have  known  that  you  had  saved  the  place  but  for 
the  chance  which  made  you  forget  this  letter." 

I  had  tried  to  stop  her  more  than  once.  She 
had  gone  on  without  heeding  me,  but  now  she 
paused. 

"  It  was  nothing,"  I  said.  "  Nothing.  There 
was  no  real  danger.  Thank  Long.  He  was  with 
me.  He  is  a  better  man  than  I." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  cried,  "  they  are  all  better  men 
than  you,  I  dare  say  !  Do  not  provoke  me,  sir,  or 
you  will  have  me  quarreling  with  you  before  I  have 
said  what  I  came  here  to  say.  Can  you  guess  what 
that  is?"  and  she  paused  again,  to  look  at  me  with 
a  great  light  in  her  eyes. 

But  I  was  far  past  replying.  I  gazed  up  at  her, 
bewildered,  dazzled.  I  had  never  known  this 
woman. 

"  I  see  you  cannot  guess,"  she  said.  "  Of  course 
you  cannot  guess !  How  could  you,  knowing  me  as 
you  have  known  me  ?  'T  is  this.  Blverview  is 
yours,  Tom,  and  shall  be  always  yours  from  this 
day  forth,  as  of  right  it  has  ever  been." 

Riverview  mine  ?  No,  no,  I  did  not  want  River- 
view.  It  was  something  else  I  wanted. 

"  I  shall  not  take  it,  aunt,"  I  said  quite  firmly. 


322  A  SOLDIER  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  am  going  to  make  a  name  for  myself,  —  with 
my  sword,  you  know,"  I  added  with  a  smile,  "  and 
when  I  have  once  done  that,  there  is  something 
else  which  I  shall  ask  you  for,  which  will  be 
dearer  to  me  —  oh,  far  dearer  —  than  a  hundred 
Riverviews." 

What  ailed  the  women  ?  Here  was  Dorothy  too 
on  her  knees  and  kissing  my  bandaged  hand. 

"  Oh,  Tom,  Tom,"  she  cried,  "  do  you  not  un 
derstand?  " 

"  Understand  ?  "  I  repeated  blankly.  "  Under 
stand  what,  Dorothy?  " 

"Don't  you  remember,  dear,  what  happened  just 
before  the  troops  came  ?  " 

"  Oh,  very  clearly,"  I  answered.  "  The  Indians 
got  Brightson  down  and  stabbed  him,  and  just  then 
you  sprang  up  and  cried  the  troops  were  coming, 
and  sure  enough,  there  they  were  just  entering 
the  clearing,  and  the  Indians  paused  only  for  one 
look  and  then  fled  down  the  stairs  as  fast  as  they 
could  go.  'T  was  you  who  saved  us  all,  Dorothy." 

"  Oh,  but  there  was  something  more !  "  she 
cried.  "  There  was  one  Indian  who  did  not  run, 
Tom,  but  who  stopped  to  aim  at  me.  I  saw  him  do 
it,  and  I  closed  my  eyes,  for  I  knew  that  he  would 
kill  me,  and  I  heard  his  gun's  report,  but  no  bullet 
struck  me.  For  it  was  you  whom  it  struck,  dear, 
through  your  hand  and  into  your  side,  and  for 
long  we  thought  you  dying." 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  but  you  see  I  am  not  dying, 
nor  like  to  die,  dear  Dorothy,  so  that  I  may  still 
rejoin  the  troops  erelong." 


I  COME  INTO  MY  OWN  323 

She  was  looking  at  me  with  streaming  eyes. 

"Do  you  mean  that  I  am  not  going  to  get  well, 
Dorothy  ?  "  I  asked,  for  I  confess  her  tears  fright 
ened  me. 

"  Oh,  not  so  bad  as  that,  dear !  "  she  cried. 
"  Thank  God,  not  so  bad  as  that !  But  your  hand, 
Tom,  your  right  hand  is  gone.  You  can  never 
wield  a  sword  again,  dear,  never  go  to  war.  You 
will  have  to  stay  at  home  with  me." 

I  know  not  how  it  was,  but  she  was  in  my  arms, 
and  her  lips  were  on  mine,  and  I  knew  that  there 
was  no  more  parting  for  us. 


AND  SO,  GOOD-BY 

WELL,  a  right  hand  is  a  little  price  to  pay  for  the 
love  of  a  wife  like  mine,  and  if  I  have  made  no 
name  in  the  world,  I  at  least  live  happy  in  it,  which 
is  perhaps  a  greater  thing.  And  I  have  grown 
to  use  my  left  hand  very  handily.  I  have  learnt 
to  write  with  it,  as  the  reader  knows,  —  and  when 
I  hold  my  wife  to  me,  I  have  her  ever  next  my 
heart. 

It  is  the  fashion,  I  know  well,  to  stop  the  story 
on  the  altar's  steps,  and  leave  the  reader  to  guess 
at  all  that  may  come  after,  but  as  I  turn  over  the 
pages  I  have  writ,  they  seem  too  much  a  tale  of 
failure  and  defeat,  and  I  would  not  have  it  so. 
For  the  lessons  learned  at  Fort  Necessity  and  Win 
chester  and  at  Duquesne  have  given  us  strength  to 
drive  the  French  from  the  continent  and  the  Indian 
from  the  frontier.  So  that  now  we  dwell  in  peace, 
and  live  our  lives  in  quiet  and  content,  save  for 
some  disagreements  with  the  king  about  our  taxes, 
which  Lord  Grenville  has  made  most  irksome. 

And  even  to  my  dearest  friend,  whose  life,  as  I 
have  traced  it  here,  has  been  so  full  of  sorrow  and 
reverse,  has  come  great  happiness.  He  is  hon 
ored  of  all  men,  and  has  found  love  as  well,  for  he 
has  brought  a  wife  home  to  Mount  Vernon.  Doro 
thy  declares  that  Mistress  Washington  is  the  very 


AND  SO,  GOOD-BY  325 

image  of  that  Mary  Gary  who  used  him  so^ill  years 
ago,  —  but  this  may  be  only  a  woman's  leaning 
toward  romance. 

Indeed,  we  have  a  romance  in  our  own  home,  — 
a  bright-eyed  girl  of  twenty,  who,  I  fear,  is  soon 
to  leave  us,  if  a  certain  pert  young  blade  who  lives 
across  the  river  has  his  way.  It  will  be  I  who 
give  her  away  at  the  altar,  for  her  father  lies  dead 
beside  the  Monongahela,  —  brave,  gentle-hearted 
Spiltdorph.  My  eyes  grow  dim  even  now  when  I 
think  of  you,  yet  I  trust  that  I  have  done  as  you 
would  have  had  me  do.  For  I  found  the  girl  at 
Hampton,  after  a  weary  search,  —  perhaps  some 
day  I  shall  tell  the  story. 

It  is  in  the  old  seat  by  the  river's  edge  I  write 
these  words,  and  as  I  lay  down  the  pen,  my  hand 
falls  on  those  carved  letters,  T  and  D,  with  a  little 
heart  around  them,  —  very  faint,  now,  and  worn 
with  frequent  kisses,  —  and  as  I  lift  my  head,  I 
see  coming  to  me  across  the  grass  the  woman  who 
carved  them  there  and  whom  I  love. 


Electrotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &r>  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.  A. 


CENTRAL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 

DATE  DUE 


13 


AN  091906 


a  39 


UCSD  Libr. 


A     000  820  481     o 


